Roots
by punklau
Summary: Punk and AJ do their best to guide their children around the mistakes they made in their younger days but uncover some home truths along the way. (AU) Part of the Paths/Always/WarsWithin series.
1. News

**News**

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! So I had it in my head that I had wrapped up the Paths/Always/Wars Within trilogy and was happy with the ending but since I started my new story Lost and Found, I've been struggling to find the inspiration for it as ideas for this story keep popping back into my head. I think there's a lot more stories to tell with this one and I grew unhealthily attached to the characters. I've written so many AJPunk stories but this series always felt fresh and different, and I don't think we're done just yet. My other story Lost and Found will be put on hold for the time being (I WILL go back to it) But for now... we got some more gorund to cover for this one so strap in and get ready! As always, I appreciate the support and the love. Let me know what you guys think!**

* * *

"Sofia!" Thea yelled, running downstairs frantically as she heard hysterical giggling coming from her three year old daughter who had fled in the midst of coming out the bath, "Sofia you have no clothes on." Thea said stressfully, running into the kitchen where she watched her daughter hiding behind a chair, giggling cheekily.

"Mommy I don't wanna put clothes on." Sofia objected.

"Well you are." Thea said bluntly, "And it's not up for debate." She made clear, walking around the table as Sofia ran away from her again, running out of the kitchen and back upstairs as Thea put her hands on her hips. She often thought about joining the gym, but as Sofia grew from a baby into a toddler, she got all the work-out she'd ever need.

She left the kitchen and walked back upstairs, heading into Sofia's room where she was sitting butt naked on her bed.

"Can I wear my pjs?" Sofia asked her.

"It's 9am. No." Thea scoffed, "Look, I picked you out your favourite hoodie with the unicorn on it." She showed her.

"I don't like that anymore." Sofia shook her head, "I want to wear something else."

"Like what?" Thea asked, watching the three year old jump down from the bed and head on over to the closet, which she of course could not reach anything in it, "Babe, can you please put some underwear on at least for now?" She groaned.

"No." Sofia said simply, looking at all her clothes as Thea rolled her eyes.

"Mommy's gonna be late for work." Thea said.

"I want to wear that." Sofia pointed.

"Last year's Halloween costume?" Thea questioned, sitting down on the bedroom floor.

"Yes." Sofia smiled excitedly.

"What about some comfy sweats and the hoodie?" Thea asked.

"No, the costume." Sofia said as Thea sighed to herself.

"Fine, ok." Thea nodded, standing up and taking the costume out from the closet as Sofia grinned happily.

"Where is James?" Sofia asked for her brother.

"He's at school, baby." Thea said, taking the costume off the hanger, "You'll see him when he gets home."

"Why am I not at school, mommy?" Sofia questioned.

"You're too young." Thea said, helping her get ready into the odd outfit she'd chosen for the day, "You'll go to school in a few years." She nodded.

"Oh." Sofia said, "Maybe I don't want to." She shrugged.

"Well you're going." Thea smiled firmly, "What do you want in your backpack?" She asked.

"Umm… some cookies." Sofia nodded.

"I'm pretty sure Punk and A have cookies at their house." Thea nodded, "What toys?"

"My furby!" Sofia gasped, running over to the top of her bed, grabbing her furby which was sitting on her pillow.

"Anything else?" Thea asked.

"No." Sofia said, "Just my furby." She told her mother.

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Mommy's already late, we need to go." She said, noticing the time.

"Mommy do you have to go fix sick people?" Sofia asked, taking her mother's hand as Thea headed downstairs with her.

"I do, yeah." Thea nodded, grabbing her coat and putting it on, equally taking Sofia's and helping her put it on over her costume.

"Do you think Papa will like my outfit today?" Sofia asked Thea.

"I reckon he will." Thea nodded, "Ok, shoes on and let's roll." She nodded as Sofia sat down on the bottom of the stairs put her converse on.

Another crazy morning, nothing out of the ordinary.

* * *

"Hey, I really can't stay. I'm running late, as usual." Thea said, rushing into her parents' house as Sofia ran ahead wildly.

"Are you aware she's wearing a witch's Halloween costume?" Punk asked his daughter.

"Yeah, it's the only way I could get her to put something on. She was… running around the house naked all morning." Thea rolled her eyes as Punk nodded.

"You used to do that." Punk nodded, "It's annoying isn't it?" He said as Thea made a face at him.

"I really gotta go. Dom will be around about 4 to pick her up." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"Ok, sweetie. Have a good day." Punk said, kissing her cheek as Thea patted his arm, rushing back out of the house and into her car to go to work.

Punk closed the door over and walked down the hallway into the kitchen where his granddaughter and wife were. They were chief babysitters for Sofia on their days off. AJ had cut down her shifts which meant most days she babysat Sofia.

"Sofia, it's not Halloween, babe." Punk said, looking over at Sofia who was sat up at the kitchen table showing her witches hat to AJ. Sofia was just like Thea when she was younger. In fact, they were almost identical. She was always up to no good.

"I know, papa but I wanted to be a witch today." Sofia explained.

"Well I think you look cool." AJ smiled, "You're very in style right now actually." She nodded as Sofia smiled happily.

"You had breakfast?" Punk asked Sofia.

"No, mommy said… shit we have no time." Sofia repeated as Punk chuckled whilst AJ hit his leg.

"Baby, that's a bad word, don't say that." AJ smiled, "Did mommy also forget to do your hair too?" She wondered, brushing Sofia's hear behind her ear.

"No, I did my hair." Sofia stared at AJ.

"Oh… well it's lovely." AJ smiled to her as Sofia looked at her suspiciously. If anything, Sofia was a lot more mischievous than Thea ever was, and a lot more opinionated to their disbelief.

"I know it is." Sofia smiled.

"What cereal do you want?" Punk asked her as Sofia turned around.

"Umm… cheerios." Sofia said as Punk nodded, grabbing a bowl out and pouring the cereal in.

Being a grandparent was all kinds of fun. It was kind of like being a parent but without all the stress and hard parts. They were fortunate enough to have two grandchildren who they got to spend so much time with.

"So why did you wanna be a witch today?" AJ asked Sofia, who reminded her of Thea when she was that age. They were insanely alike.

"Because." Sofia answered as AJ nodded. Fair enough, she thought to herself.

"Aren't witches supposed to have big noses? And warts? And long finger nails?" Punk teased as Sofia gasped.

"No." Sofia said, "No, that's only the ugly witches." She said as Punk nodded, sitting her cereal down for her, "I'm a good witch."

"Oh, yeah? What's so good about you?" He teased.

"Everything." Sofia said confidently as Punk nodded.

"I gotta say, I agree." AJ nodded as Sofia smiled, picking her cheerio's up with her spoon one by one as Punk chuckled, looking over to AJ who shook her head at the craziness. Sofia definitely had character just like her mother.

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Thea asked, standing outside the hospital on her lunch break having a cigarette.

"I hope you're not campaigning out here whilst doing that." Jude approached her, "It's not the best message for a hospital."

"Shut up." Thea scoffed, "I can't do it at home because the kids so I gotta do it here." She said.

"Why can't you do it at home?" Jude shook her head as Thea shrugged, "What?"

"Sofia got a hold of my lighter and almost set her hair on fire." Thea said as Jude raised her eyebrows, "So Dominic had a go at me and said no more smoking in the house, not even at the back door so… I have a few here." She shrugged.

"She almost set her hair on fire?" Jude chuckled.

"It's not funny." Thea said seriously, "I don't even know how she figured out how to use it. The kid is insane." She shook her head as Jude smiled.

"Like mother like daughter." Jude said, "Is she with mom and dad?"

"Yeah." Thea nodded.

"You told them yet?" Jude asked.

"No." Thea shook her head, "I don't even know how I'm going to tell them." She sighed to herself, "I can just picture their faces already."

"I know they're gonna kick off about not being able to see Sofia and James." Thea sighed.

"Isn't there any way around it?" Jude sighed, "I'm not too thrilled about you moving either, I mean you couldn't have picked a worse time really." She shook her head.

"I can't do anything about it. I'm getting transferred." Thea shrugged, "I hate it. The fact I have to move James schools when he's just started, the fact I have to ask Dominic to be ok with leaving his job and finding a new one, just for me… I hate all of it." She shook her head.

"Is that why you're puffing away on these?" Jude pointed to the cigarette.

"Yes. It's either this or wine, what would you prefer?" Thea raised a brow as Jude nodded.

"Puff away." Jude encouraged as Thea nodded, "I just can't believe you're not gonna be around here." She folded her arms.

"Oh, come on. I… I mean it's not like I'm moving country. I'm a two hour drive away." Thea smiled, "Speaking of not telling mom and dad things… have you told them about-"

"No, not yet." Jude scoffed, "I can't find a good enough time." She said.

"Well I'd hurry up about it. You're already starting to show a little." Thea looked down at her sister's tummy.

"You think?" Jude asked curiously, looking down at her stomach, "I didn't think I was."

"You are. Plus you're getting a puffy face." Thea nodded.

"Are you telling me I look fat?" Jude laughed.

"No, you look pregnant. Insane, right? Considering you are." Thea nodded as Jude rolled her eyes.

"Sean has been gone all weekend. I wanted to wait for him to get back for both of us to tell them." Jude said.

"Oh, I have a great idea." Thea nodded, putting her cigarette out and clapping her hands, "Ok, we'll all go to mom's for dinner, me and Dominic will drop our shitty news that we're moving to Milwaukee and then boom, you swoop in with the baby news." Thea smiled, impressed with herself.

"That's not gonna keep them from being upset about you moving." Jude scoffed.

"No, but it might help." Thea nodded.

"Isn't there any way you coud get a job closer? So you don't have to move?" Jude huffed, "What am I gonna do when I have baby questions?" She questioned unhappily.

"You're telling me you want my parenting advice? Me? Whose daughter almost perished her hair with my lighter?" Thea asked as Jude nodded to herself.

"Yeah, ok. Fair enough." Jude nodded, "But still… I wanted my baby to have aunt Thea and uncle Dom close by. And it's big cousins." She frowned as Thea looked across at her.

"I know." Thea said, "I just… I can't do anything about it. I wish I could." She nodded as Jude frowned.

"Well I'm on my lunch break." Jude said, "You got time to grab a coffee?" She asked.

"I do, but no coffee for you." Thea said.

"Why not?" Jude shook her head.

"Bad for the baby." Thea said.

"Really?" Jude asked as Thea nodded, "You see, this is why you need to stay." She huffed childishly as Thea smiled, wrapping her arm around her and heading across the road for lunch.

* * *

"I hate working nights!" Twenty-one year old Cassie got home where she still lived with her parents, slamming the door shut and trailing into the living room, collapsing onto the couch face first.

She had been working night shift, at the police station, where she was still in semi-training as a rookie, which meant she was under supervision by a more experienced cop at all times. She had done her difficult years at the academy and bargained herself a job at the station. It was the best but toughest job in the world.

"Hey, baby." AJ walked into the living room, "How was work?" She asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Cassie muffled, her face pressed against the couch as AJ smiled.

"Rough night?" AJ wondered.

"I got elbowed in the boob." Cassie groaned as AJ nodded.

"That's not good." AJ said.

"No, it's not." Cassie agreed as AJ smiled.

They'd watch Cassie vow to quit so many times, but she never did. She never gave up, even when she was crying and wishing to give up, she always got back up and headed back to the job. AJ and Punk had saw first-hand just how hard she worked, and they knew she was frustrated with the lack of control she had over things right now as she started off as a rookie.

"You gotta start somewhere, babe." AJ reminded her.

"Theo keeps yelling at me." Cassie sighed, rolling around onto her back, "He doesn't let me do anything. How am I supposed to learn anything?" She questioned with frustration.

"Why don't you talk to Sean?" AJ asked.

"He's not in town this weekend, plus I… I'm not gonna be the person who uses her family connections to get her way." Cassie said, "He's just so disrespectful. Always calls me kid."

"Isn't it just playful banter?" AJ asked.

"No, believe me." Cassie groaned.

"Aunt Cassie!" Sofia squealed, running into the living room past AJ and jumping on her aunt as Cassie smiled.

"Hey, you." Cassie smiled, giving her a tight squeeze, "Why are you dressed as a witch?" She chuckled.

"Because." Sofia said simply, sitting on her aunts hip, "I wanted to."

"Fair enough." Cassie chuckled, "Did you save any cats today?" She giggled as Cassie scoffed.

"There's more to my job than that." Cassie said.

"Papa Punk says you save cats." Sofia said sweetly as AJ laughed to herself.

"Of course he did." Cassie shook her head as AJ smiled, walking back out of the living room where Cassie was getting comfy with Sofia.

"Another bad day?" Punk asked AJ, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Yeah. Said she got elbowed on the boob and Theo keeps shouting at her." AJ nodded as Punk shook his head.

"She just doesn't like being told what to do." Punk shook his head, reading the paper.

"Yeah, that's true." AJ laughed to herself, "Sofia is in there asking her if she saved any cats today. You're mean."

"What?" Punk sniggered. No matter what age he was, he got a kick out of teasing and tormenting all his daughters to the fullest, "The teasing helps her, trust me." He said as AJ smiled.

"You want a donut?" AJ asked him as Punk turned around and looked over at her opening the box.

"You wanna half one?" Punk compromised.

"Look at you, trying to be healthy." AJ chuckled to herself.

"I'm just keeping my dad bod in shape." He patted his stomach as AJ shook her head.

"You're ageing with grace, baby. Don't you forget it." AJ patted his shoulder as Punk nodded to himself.


	2. Moving Forward

**Moving Forward**

* * *

"She's still not told them?" Dominic asked, sitting at the kitchen table with his wife and two children having dinner.

"No, she said she wanted to wait for Sean to get back." Thea said.

"Isn't she like 14 weeks pregnant?" Dominic scoffed.

"Yeah. I told her today that she's showing. She's gotta tell them." Thea nodded.

"Why is she holding back so much?" Dominic questioned.

"I don't know." Thea shrugged, "I think she's just nervous about it." She nodded, "I came up with a brilliant plan, though." She smirked.

"What's the plan?" Dominic asked as Sofia slid her plate over to him, sitting beside him.

"I'm finished." Sofia told him whilst James sat beside Thea.

"No you're not." James got his eyes on his sisters plate.

"Yes I am." Sofia pointed her fork across at her brother.

"Ok, put the fork down." Thea groaned, "Babe, eat your veg please."

"But I don't like it." Sofia huffed, sitting her fork down and placing her hands on her cheeks stressfully.

"But it makes you all healthy and strong." Dominic said, sliding her plate back to her, "Just a little bit." He nodded.

"Ok." Sofia grinned, taking a piece of broccoli and eating the tiniest bite from the top as Thea raised a brow, "There… I ate a little bit." She said happily.

"Baby, I wanna see you trying to eat all of it." Thea nodded, "Look, James is almost finished." She said, brushing her hand through her son's hair, "Don't you wanna beat him?" She asked. She had no shame in pitting her children against each other if it meant they ate their veg, went to bed quicker and behaved.

"I don't wanna beat him at eating veg. Yuck." Sofia folded her arms as Dominic chuckled to himself which caused Thea to kick him under the table.

"What?" Dominic laughed.

"No ice-cream if you don't finish your dinner." Thea warned as Sofia looked over at her mother with an angered expression, "Yeah, you don't like that, do you?" Thea teased as Sofia scoffed, picking her fork up and forcing the veg into her mouth as Thea smirked to herself. The good old ice-cream threat always worked.

"So what's your plan?" Dominic asked her.

"So… we go have dinner with my parents at their house. We tell them that we're moving to Milwaukee, explain it all to them and then boom, just as my mom will probably start to cry Jude announces she's pregnant. The heat is taken off of us and put onto Jude." Thea smiled.

"Not bad." Dominic nodded.

"Right?" Thea said.

"It's not gonna stop them from being upset, though." Dominic said, "I think they're gonna be more crushed that… they're not gonna see the kids as much."

"I know." Thea sighed to herself, "I know, look… I feel awful about it. The whole thing sucks but… I'm out of a job if we don't go and… the healthcare industry right now is so overcrowded. They'll let me go in a heartbeat." She said as Dominic nodded, "We need the money."

"Yeah, I know." Dominic nodded, "I just hope you're gonna be ok. I know how much your parents and your sisters play a role in your life." He said.

"I'm a big girl. I'll be fine." Thea nodded, "I'll miss them but I mean we're just two hours away in the car. It's not like we're going to a different country." She said as Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, I know. There's always a bright side." Dominic agreed.

"I know it's gonna be tough but… I can't turn it down." She shook her head.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, we'll be fine." Dominic nodded.

"It's just gonna be weird leaving this place." Thea nodded to herself. It was a scary thought having to move to another state where they didn't know anyone and their family were all further away than usual, but it was a career move and it was just something they had to do.

"Yeah, but… we'll have a new home. New memories and adventures." Dominic assured her as she smiled.

"Yeah." Thea smiled.

"Are we actually going to your parents for dinner?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah, on Sunday." Thea nodded, "So… we'll drop our bomb and then Jude will drop hers."

"Cassie got anything she wants to get off her chest? Probably would be a good time." He said as Thea chuckled.

"I'm sure if she does she'll take the opportunity." Thea chuckled.

"Finished." James announced.

"Good job, buddy." Dominic smiled as Sofia looked over jealously.

"No fair, he cheated." Sofia declared as Thea scoffed.

"How did he cheat?" Thea asked.

"I don't know. But he did." Sofia said.

"You're not getting ice-cream." James teased as Sofia picked up her carrot and threw it at him angrily.

"Hey, no." Thea warned, "None of that." She said, "Or you really won't be getting ice-cream." She said as Sofia folded her arms unhappily. She was definitely a handful. Mischievous. Stubborn. Always up to no good. Argumentative. In other words… her own mini me. James was a lot more like Dominic. Even though he was just six he had a very humorous and jokey personality. And like any big brother, he enjoyed teasing his little sister the most.

"C'mon, sweetie. Finish your dinner." Dominic nodded to Sofia.

"I don't want to, daddy." Sofia sighed, hugging into his arm sweetly as Dominic smiled, "I'm finished." She said as Dominic smiled, enjoying the sweet hug.

"Ok." Dominic nodded, "Ok, you did good." He said as Thea rolled her eyes. It amused her how whipped her children had her husband. Especially Sofia. She could say anything to Dominic, give him those huge brown eyes and a sweet hug, and he'd easily comply with whatever she was saying.

"You're a sucker." Thea shook her head as Dominic shrugged. He knew he was and he didn't care.

"Mommy, miss Nelson gave me homework to do." James said.

"Oh, yeah? What's the homework?" Thea asked, clearing the dinner plates away.

"Spelling." James said.

"Ok, baby. Go bust it out and we'll get to spelling." Thea nodded, smiling as she watched James run off to go get his backpack.

"I'll take this one for her bath." Dominic announced as Thea nodded. It was her favourite time of the night where they could all unwind from the long day, and she could relax with her family.

* * *

"Hey, you ok?" Punk asked, walking into the kitchen later on as he saw Cassie sitting at the table doing some work.

"Yeah." Cassie said as Punk looked at her, unconvinced. He saw the stress her job was bringing her and he hated it, but he knew that this was what she wanted. She worked extremely hard, and she had every bit of courage and skill to be a cop, he knew she did.

"You sure?" He asked, sitting down across from her at the table.

"I don't know." Cassie shrugged as he nodded, "No one even talks to me." She said as Punk looked across at her, "And look, I get it… I'm the rookie, they're allowed to have the superiority but… I just feel like they're constantly laughing at me."

"Why?" Punk shook his head.

"I don't know." Cassie said, "The Brooks thing doesn't really help." She looked across at him as he nodded. He assumed that.

"I figured." Punk nodded, "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Cassie shook her head, "I just wanna be taken seriously." She said.

"Isn't it just a rookie thing? You're still a baby? You're still learning? Isn't it just… playful teasing? Part of the job?" Punk shrugged.

"No. They hate me." Cassie rolled her eyes, "If it wasn't for the fact that… when I'm out there and I get to actually do things that I feel I'm good at… I would have gave up a long time ago." She shook her head.

"So then look at this as one big giant hurdle you need to get over. You won't be a rookie forever." He said, "And prove these fuckers that you're better than them." He nodded, "Make them eat their own words." He said.

"I just thought it'd be different." Cassie said, "I got out the academy and I thought… this is it. I can actually go be a cop now." She shook her head.

"Maybe you could ask for a new mentor? I don't like this Theo guy." Punk said.

"Niether do I." Cassie shook her head.

"Why don't you go to Sean? Tell him about it-"

"No, I'm not being that person who uses her family to get out of things. I've said this to mom. I'll just deal with it on my own." Cassie said as Punk smiled. Stubborn. Just like all the girls in his life.

"I figured you would anyway." Punk smiled, "You're doing real good. In case no one in that hell hole is telling you. You are." He nodded as she looked across at him.

"I'm trying." Cassie nodded, "Theo said I'm too pretty to be a cop."

She was torn between being in love with the career she had picked, the path she wanted to go down, and her co-workers who almost didn't take her seriously, especially considering her family's history.

"Fuck him. He sounds like a damn asshole and I give you permission to kick him in the dick." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"Yeah, well… I do that and I get fired." Cassie said, "I just wanna be taken seriously."

"You will be. You're way too determined. I know you." He smiled, "Prove them wrong." He nodded as she smiled. She was trying.

* * *

"How have you been feeling?" Sean asked, unpacking his bag in he and Jude's bedroom after he'd gotten home from a late light, having been gone for a few days for work.

"I'm feeling fine." Jude nodded, "I don't know if I should be worried." She admitted.

"Not all pregnant women have morning sickness." Sean said.

"Yeah, I know that." Jude scoffed, sitting up in bed with some of her drawings sitting in front of her, "Me and Thea came up with a plan on how to tell my parents."

"Well go on, let me hear it." Sean chuckled already.

"Well her and Dominic are gonna tell my parents about moving to Milwaukee, so to stop them from getting too sad, we'll swoop in and tell them I'm pregnant." Jude said.

"That's a lot of information for your poor parents in the one go." Sean chuckled.

"I know but it all balances out." Jude waved her hand, "We're going on Sunday for dinner."

"Whenever you wanna tell them we can tell them." Sean said as she smiled.

"Thea said she could see I'm already getting big." Jude said, getting out of bed and standing over in front of the mirror as Sean watched her, "Maybe I am." She wondered, standing side on, deliberately pushing her stomach out as Sean chuckled, "I guess there is a little bump there." She smiled to herself as Sean watched her.

"There is." He noticed to his amazement.

It was nothing they had planned for. They weren't married but had been together for a very long time, coming up for seven years. They had their own house together and very much shared a life together, and were excited (after the shock died down) to be welcoming a baby into a family of their own.

"I'm nervous about telling my parents." Jude admitted, rushing back over to the bed and jumping back in under the covers.

"Why?" Sean asked, "They'll be happy. You see how they are with James and Sofia."

"I know, it's just… I really don't think they'd expect it." Jude said, "I think with Thea… she was married, she was kinda giving off settling down vibes for a while-"

"And we're not?" Sean wondered.

"Well… yeah, we are but… I don't know, it's just different." Jude shrugged.

"Yeah, it's different because you're not your sister." Sean nodded, "You're you, and they're gonna be really happy."

"Yeah, I know." Jude nodded, "I'm being silly."

"No you're not. It's a big thing." Sean said.

"It is." Jude said.

"What you been drawing?" He asked, collapsing down on the bed beside her as he looked at some of her sketches.

"Oh, just… some bits here and there." Jude nodded. She still taught classes at the institute as well as doing her own projects on the side. Art was still one of her biggest therapies amongst many other things.

"I'll never get used to how amazing you are at this." Sean shook his head, looking at her drawings as she smiled.

"I was thinking about painting the nursery myself." She nodded.

"Yeah?" Sean smiled as she nodded.

"Yeah, it'll give me something to focus on." Jude said, "I already got some ideas." She said excitedly as he smiled.

"I can't wait to see what this kid is gonna draw for the fridge when it's like 3. I bet it will be a miniature Picasso." He nodded as Jude chuckled.

"I don't know if I can handle competition like that." Jude teased as he smiled, "Could be a miniature cop."

"Could be." Sean chuckled.

"Hey, I think Cass is having a tough time at the station." Jude nodded to him.

"Yeah, I figured." Sean said, "Your sister can stand her ground, though."

"I know but… she's still my little sister. I feel like they're giving her a hard time because of… where she comes from." Jude said, "Or… more so who she comes from." She said as Sean nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, and her mentor is Theo so… that's a bad day all round anyway." Sean said, "He told me the other day she's too pretty to be a cop. Followed with some other profanity that I had to walk away from."

"Can't you do something about it?" Jude asked angrily.

"What am I supposed to do? I barely even see Cassie." Sean said, "She's tough. She'll shut them all up, you know that."

"Yeah well I don't want her being picked on. Especially by an older guy who is talking about her like that." Jude said worriedly.

"Theo isn't a bad guy. He's just opinionated, and I think he's kinda intimidated by her to be honest. I think they all are." Sean nodded.

"Well I don't want her to be in any sort of uncomfortable position with any guy who talks about her like they own her… ok?" Jude said seriously, "Because I'm not… that can't happen to her…"

"Hey… it's ok." Sean nodded to her, "That's not going to happen to her." He assured her, "Cass is doing good. It's a tough place to work. You gotta have thick skin and she does. She'll stick it out and prove them wrong." He said as Jude nodded, "You don't need to worry about her." He nodded, kissing her hand.

"I always worry about her." Jude shook her head.

"I know you do." Sean said.

There had been everlasting impact left with her since her attack over six years ago. Never had it left her mind. It'd gotten easier for sure, but it'd never left. Instead now she suffered from severe anxiety and paranoia, not just for herself but for those she loved around her. Sean recognised it and helped her through it. It wasn't something that had gone away, and she was learning to manage it the best she could, with his help. She'd come to terms with the fact her attack had left her with these problems that she knew would stay with her for the rest of her life, and that was sometimes hard to accept.

"You'll still look out for her, won't you?" Jude nodded.

"Of course I will." Sean said, "But she is doing fine on her own. Believe me. She's good." He nodded.

"Yeah well she's dedicated that's for sure." Jude nodded, "Do you wanna see the ideas I have for the nursery?" She asked him.

"Of course I do. What masterpiece are you planning?" He smiled as she opened up her books to show him her ideas. She was glad he was back home after a few nights of being on her own in the house. Something she also struggled with. The struggle never quite left. It was always there.


	3. Dropping Bombs

**Dropping Bombs**

* * *

"I didn't know you were coming." Thea said, hugging Sam who arrived at her parents for dinner on Sunday.

"Well I am always last invited, as usual." Sam nodded.

"Yeah we forget about you." Punk nodded truthfully as Sam rolled her eyes.

"Well I don't." Thea smiled, hugging Sam tightly, "And you brought wine… that's not tormenting at all." She said sarcastically as Sam nodded.

"Just pretend it's grape soda, you'll be fine." Sam patted Thea's arm who nodded to herself, sitting back down at the table with the rest of her family in the kitchen, "April, shove that in the fridge for me." She said, extending over the wine to AJ.

"Ok." AJ nodded, taking the wine and sitting it in the fridge whilst Sam took a seat at the table.

"So what's the big occasion?" Sam asked.

"Nothing. We just wanted to have dinner." AJ said, "Me and Phil were talking and we think it's something we should start doing every week. Every Sunday everyone will come here for dinner." She ordered as Thea turned to Dominic nervously, "It's hard getting everyone in the one place at the one time."

"Sounds great, mom." Jude smiled, sitting next to Sean and Cassie.

"Mommy, where is my furby?" Sofia asked Thea.

"In the living room." Thea said, "You can get him after you finish your dinner." She nodded.

"Oh." Sofia said, "Papa!" Sofia yelled, even though Punk wasn't that far away.

"Yes?" Punk said.

"Don't give me the vegetables. I'm allergic." Sofia said, thinking she had her plan all figured out.

"Uh… I don't think so, ma'am." Thea said, "You'll be eating your veg." She nodded as Punk chuckled to himself.

"But mommy I don't like them." Sofia frowned sadly.

"Well you need to get used to them." Thea said, "You like carrots."

"No." Sofia huffed.

"Sofia never eats her dinner." James teased from across the table, sitting with Cassie whom he was showing her his games console he was playing.

"Yes I do!" Sofia yelled.

"No you don't." James smirked, "And then you cry because you don't get ice-cream." He teased as Sofia folded her arms unhappily. She didn't like being exposed in front of her family like this.

AJ couldn't help smile as she watched. She'd never gotten to experience having children close in age. There was all pretty large age gaps between the girls, but the small age gap between Sofia and James made family dinners a lot more comedic for sure.

"Sofia is gonna eat all her dinner. I know she is." Punk nodded confidently as Sofia looked over.

"Boy, if only I was that hopeful." Thea said as Punk sat dinner down for everyone.

"Papa Punk, you have to sit beside me." Sofia declared as Punk nodded.

"Ok." Punk smiled, sitting down next to Sofia, "Now I can make sure you eat all your dinner." He looked down at her as she grinned cheekily.

"Cass you look tired." Thea noticed, passing the mash potatoes over to her.

"That's because I am." Cassie said, "I've been working night shift all week."

"Oh, bummer." Thea said, "Are you working tonight?"

"Yeah." Cassie said unenthusiastically, "Can't wait." She said sarcastically.

"You went through this when you were a rookie, right?" Jude turned to Sean, trying to help her sister feel better.

"Yeah, of course." Sean nodded, "Yeah, it feels like you're at the bottom of the food chain."

"No, it feels like there's the bottom of the food chain, garbage, shit and then… me somewhere down below." Cassie nodded.

"That's your fault for wanting to be a cop." Sam scoffed.

"Shut up, Sam." Cassie hissed.

"Yeah, shut up." Punk nodded to his mother in a more serious tone, "She's doing more than you ever did. You've never worked a day in your life." He said as Sam nodded, raising her glass of wine to him as he scoffed.

"It'll die down, Cass." Sean assured her, "I wanted to give up too but once you get past this part it's great." He nodded.

"Yeah well that's the only thing that's keeping me going on." Cassie said.

"You're doing so good, babe. We're so proud of you." AJ smiled. They were very proud of all their daughters for achieving very good and successful careers that they enjoyed. They knew Cassie just had to stick at it.

Dominic began nudging Thea, noticing a quiet moment which seemed appropriate to tell everyone their news.

"Uh… we have some news." Thea nodded as AJ looked up immediately.

"God, you're not pregnant again, are you?" Cassie groaned.

"No." Thea said, looking over at Jude who was playing with her food, "I'm not pregnant."

"Then what?" Punk asked her.

"We're moving." Thea nodded as AJ raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, that's nice." AJ smiled, "You guys have always wanted to move out of that house." She said.

"That's good, have you found a place yet?" Punk asked as Thea looked at Dominic. Her parents obviously assumed they were just moving locally.

"Uh… we're moving to Milwaukee." Thea said as AJ and Punk both looked at her.

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"My work are laying people off. I managed to keep my job but… it means moving to Milwaukee." Thea nodded, "So we've… we've got a house there and we move in three weeks." She said as Punk put his fork down, looking over to AJ who was frowning.

"We know that you're main concern is probably the kids." Dominic jumped in, "And how you might not get to see them as much but we're just two hours away, less than that without traffic." He said as Thea nodded, "We'll come visit all the time." He made clear, trying to say anything that would make them feel better.

"And Jude has something to say too!" Thea blurted out quickly as Jude groaned.

"Are you moving away too?" Punk scoffed sadly as Jude looked over at Thea who nodded.

"No, uh… I…" She paused. She had no idea why she was so scared to tell her parents she was having a baby. Perhaps it made it feel more real.

"She's pregnant." Sam scoffed, sipping on her wine as Punk turned to her.

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"Oh, come on. Look at her puffy face. She's been wearing baggy t-shirts for weeks." Sam shook her head as AJ looked over at Jude.

"Are you?" AJ raised her eyebrows as Punk looked over.

"Yeah, maybe." Jude shrugged nervously.

"Maybe?" Punk questioned.

"It's not maybe. She is." Thea butted in, "In fact she's fourteen weeks."

"Do you ever just be quiet?" Jude looked across at her sister who shrugged.

"Oh my God, really?" AJ smiled, "You're really pregnant?"

"Yeah." Jude nodded.

"Oh, that's so great." AJ said, "I need to hug you both." She smiled, getting up from the table and rushing around, giving Jude a tight squeeze from behind, as well as Sean, "You don't get to hide things like that from me." AJ tutted.

"We just didn't really know when to tell you." Jude said as AJ made her way back over to her seat whilst Jude looked over at her father, "Dad?" She said.

"Huh? Yeah?" Punk looked up in a daze. Even after two grandchildren, news like this still came as a shock.

"Are you ok?" Jude laughed a little.

"Y-Yeah." Punk nodded.

"I'm pregnant too." Cassie nodded to him as Punk turned to her in a flash.

"What?" Punk almost cried.

"Just kidding." Cassie smiled, chuckling to herself as Punk pulled out his t-shit from his neck, feeling extremely warm.

"Is it warm in here?" He asked AJ who smiled sweetly.

"I see what you two have done here." AJ folded her arms, "You dropping your rubbish news and you dropping your good news to balance things out." She pointed to Thea and Jude, "Imagine thinking I don't know how you both think."

"Yeah, you got us." Thea nodded, "But we're really not gonna be that far away. You'll still see us." She said, "Jude's news is way more exciting than ours." She smiled over to her sister.

"You both have my options all over the place." AJ shook her head, feeling a mixed range of emotions, turning to her husband who wasn't saying much of anything.

"Dad, are you ok?" Jude asked, wishing for her father to say something. Anything.

"Mhm… yeah, I uh… I'll be back in a minute." He stood up, leaving the kitchen as Jude watched.

"What's wrong with him?" Thea asked.

"He's probably just shocked." AJ shook her head.

"You'd think he'd get used to it." Thea scoffed.

"I'll go check on him." Jude said, standing up from the table and leaving the kitchen.

She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where her father was sitting.

"Hey." She said as he looked up.

"Hey." Punk nodded to her as she came and sat down beside him.

"You ok?" She asked him as he nodded.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." Punk assured her, "That's just a lot of information to take in." He admitted as Jude nodded.

"Thea's right… she's really not gonna be that far away. We can visit them any time. It's not like she's a flight away." Jude said as Punk nodded, "You'll probably see her just as much as you do now." She chuckled.

"You do have a puffy face." Punk noticed as Jude scoffed.

"I wish people would stop subtly calling me fat to my face." Jude scoffed.

"No, you look good." Punk said, "You… look happy." He nodded.

"I am happy." Jude nodded to him, "Terrified but… happy." She smiled, "And I know me and Sean aren't married yet but-"

"Oh, yeah… cause I'm the parent who expects his daughters to get married before they have kids." Punk said, "Get out of here." He joked as she smiled.

"Why are you going all quiet and weird on me then?" Jude shoved him as he smiled.

"I don't know, I just… I still haven't really gotten used to the fact that you girls aren't… little girls anymore." He said, "You're not even close. You're out there. Grown ass woman." He nodded, "Having your own families."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Jude asked.

"Of course. It's a great thing." Punk said, "I'm so happy for you and for Sean." He nodded, "I just can't believe two of my kids are now… having kids of their own." He said. He was overjoyed by Jude's news, but it did overwhelm him a little. At times he felt like was running on borrowed time. Losing so much time with Jude and Thea particularly when they were growing up, really made him feel like time was going by too quickly. Like they had become adults overnight.

"We're just taking it all as it comes." Jude said, "Little bit bummed that Thea isn't gonna be around as much to help me but… I know I got you and mom." She nodded as he smiled.

"How you feeling about it? You know… mentally?" Punk asked her.

"Good. I mean, I was shocked but… I feel good about it. I'm gonna paint the nursery." She said as Punk smiled.

"Yeah?" He asked as she nodded.

"Yeah, I already got ideas." Jude nodded, "And names." She added as Punk raised his eyebrows, "I know I still have my fair share of… issues." She said, "But I work on them. I learn to live with them." She said, "Ever since I found out about this… those issues haven't felt as big as they normally do." She admitted, "And I know that a baby isn't the answer to any of my problems but… it's the first time I've felt excited about something in a long time. Legit excited." She said as he smiled.

"I'm so happy for you." Punk shook his head as she smiled, hugging into him as he wrapped his arm around her.

He'd saw Jude go through her fair share of troubles over the years. He knew she hadn't recovered from anything, and he realised that she may never recover from what happened to her, but she didn't shy away from it. She worked at it every day, and seeing this new sort of happiness about her was absolutely the best feeling in the world.


	4. Report

**Report**

* * *

"So I take it you're starting to pack up the house?" Punk asked, walking outside where Thea and Dominic were heading to the car. Dominic was holding a sleeping Sofia over his shoulder, heading to the car to strap her into the back seat.

"Yeah we're starting to box up some stuff." Thea nodded, holding James' hand, "Baby, why don't you go into the car. Daddy will help you." Thea brushed her hand over James' hair.

"Ok." James said tiredly.

"Hey, what about my hug?" Punk asked as James ran over to him as Punk picked him up and squeezed him, "My little buddy." He smiled as James hugged him tightly. He had a different bond with James than he did with everyone else. He really was like the son he never had.

Thea smiled as she watched Punk hugging James. She knew how much her parents meant to her children, and she hated that she felt like she was taking that closeness away from them. She absolutely hated it.

"Ok, off you go." Punk smiled, putting James back down on the ground as he ran away to get his dad at the car.

"I'm sorry." Thea shook her head.

"What for?" Punk asked.

"Well I know how much you and mom love the kids and… how much you do for them. I don't even know what I'm gonna do without you both being five minutes away." She admitted, "And I hate having to pull James out of his school when he's just started."

"Hey, you… gotta do what you gotta do, Thea." Punk nodded, "You've got a family. Being out of a job isn't an option. I get all of that. I know I was gone for a while but I did dabble in raising you. I know the tough calls and decisions you gotta make." He said as Thea nodded.

"It's not even about the kids sometimes. I don't wanna go." Thea said truthfully, "This is my home. I'm gonna miss my sisters. I'm not gonna get to see Jude being all hormonal and pregnant." She frowned as Punk smiled, "I just never planned on leaving this place."

"You said it to me… you're not that far away. Two hours at the most." Punk said, "This isn't any kind of goodbye." He assured her as Thea nodded, "You're gonna make so much more memories in Milwaukee. You don't need me and your mom for that." He said, watching her lip quiver a little.

"I always need you guys." Thea's voice broke a little as Punk smiled, wrapping his arms around her tightly. His relationship with his eldest daughter had been one huge rollercoaster ride. From her hating his guts when he got out of prison to now somehow feeling like she couldn't live on her own without seeing them as much.

"We are always here." Punk assured her, kissing her head, "We aren't going anywhere." He promised her as she smiled, hugging into him.

"You better not." She warned as Punk chuckled.

"I hope the kids forgive me for taking them away from their favourite grandparents." Thea said, pulling back from the hug.

"Hey, we're not gonna see each other any less. Me and your mom will be driving down every week to see you. Get this idea out of your head that you're never gonna see us again." He smiled, cupping her cheeks and drying her tears.

"I know I'm just scared." Thea huffed, folding her arms.

"I know but I think that's normal." Punk nodded, "You're gonna be fine." He assured her as she smiled.

Meanwhile back in the house Jude was sitting with AJ at the kitchen table, enjoying another slice of cake.

"I can't believe I didn't realise. My mom senses never fail me." AJ said, surprised she hadn't figured out Jude was pregnant until now.

"I did a pretty good job of hiding it I guess." Jude said.

"No kidding." AJ laughed a little, "Have you been sick?"

"No, I've been fine." Jude nodded positively.

"Horny?" Sam asked, sitting at the table, having made her way through her bottle of wine.

"Are you still here?" AJ scoffed.

"Yes, actually." Jude nodded, "A lot of that and… blue lemonade." She said, "I didn't know drinks could be a craving."

"Anything can be a craving when you're pregnant." AJ shook her head, "Are you gonna find out the sex?"

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "We'll find out in a few weeks."

"You got any predictions?" AJ asked. She was just relishing in seeing her daughters growing and become strong, independent woman who were starting their own families. It brought her so much joy and pride, and she knew it did to her husband too.

"We think it's a girl." Jude nodded as AJ smiled excitedly, "We already have a few names for each that we really like."

"What are they?" AJ asked.

"We're not gonna say until he or she is born." Jude smiled.

"Call it Sam. Works for a boy or a girl." Sam smiled as Jude chuckled.

"It does, you're right." Jude nodded, "Bummer about Thea leaving, huh?" She turned back to her mom.

"Yeah, but… they're not miles and miles away. We'll still see them every week. It's not like it's a goodbye." AJ shook her head, "She's right to take the job." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Jude said, "I just thought she could help me out with some baby stuff."

"She'll still be around." AJ assured her, "And plus, I'm here. I did ok at having babies, right?" She smiled as Jude chuckled.

"I suppose you did." Jude smiled.

"How did Sean take the news?" AJ asked.

"I mean… we were both shocked, but we're really happy." Jude nodded.

"Well I'm so happy for you, baby." AJ smiled. She couldn't stop smiling. She knew what struggles her daughter still had within her. Nightmares that hadn't left her, even after almost seven years. There was no amount of time that would erase what she had gone through, but for the first time in a long time, she could see a peaceful happiness about her, and that was wonderful.

* * *

"Cassidy, you're late." Theo, Cassie's mentor said, waiting on her at his desk as she showed up for her shift.

"First, it's just Cassie." Cassie said.

"I thought that was short for Cassidy?" Theo looked up at her, leaning back on his chair.

"No." Cassie screwed her face up, "It's just Cassie." She said, "And two… my shift starts at 9. It's… two minutes past." She checked.

"Exactly. Late." Theo nodded. He was only a few years older than her but she knew he was loving the idea of bossing someone around. She felt like her learning experience was being shortened by how much he disrespected her. It made her dread coming to do something she'd fallen in love with.

"Whatever." Cassie shook her head, "What am I doing tonight?"

"Reports." Theo said, "It's a slow night. We don't need you out there making it any slower." He shook his head.

"I don't wanna be stuck at a desk all night." Cassie folded her arms unhappily.

"Well tough, because you are. It comes with the job." Theo said, standing up from his desk, "So… in you get." He said as Cassie shook her head, walking into the desk, about to sit down on the chair when Theo pulled the chair back, causing her to fall down onto the ground, almost giving her whiplash as the chair went wheeling back.

She lay on the ground for a second, contemplating her life as she heard some people around the station chuckling.

"Want a hand?" Theo smiled, extending his hand out to her as she sat up, declining his help and getting up on her own, bringing the chair back over and sitting down on it as she took a deep breath. It was so hard not to explode and say something.

"What reports am I doing?" Cassie asked calmly.

"Ok, how about I just show you how to work this thing first." Theo said, "Have you even use the computer before?" He asked her, pulling a chair over and sitting beside her as she wheeled over a little.

"Yes, I have used a computer once or twice in my life." Cassie shook her head.

"These computers are different, smartass." Theo said as Cassie made a face, "It's like a different software we use here. Helps us find people, records, address books… everything." He said as Cassie nodded.

"I'm sure I'll figure it out." Cassie shook her head. She hated the way people spoke to her as if she was dumb.

"Well just to be sure." Theo said, "To start a report you click on this here." He showed her with the mouse icon, "You see it?"

"Yes I can see it." Cassie snapped as Theo smiled to himself.

"Ok, you click on that and it gives you the format of the report. Like this." Theo showed her as Cassie nodded.

"Ok, easy." Cassie nodded.

"And if you wanna search up someone's record or details on the system you click on this icon." Theo showed her, "And then… you type in their name." He showed her, typing Cassie's name into the system.

"Why are you typing my name in?" Cassie asked nervously.

"Just an example." Theo laughed, clicking enter as he saw all the reports appearing which had Cassie's name involved in, "Uh…" Theo said with surprise, not expecting to see as much as he did, "So you… click one and it opens up the full report." He said, hesitantly clicking on one of the reports, "You were kidnapped?" He turned to her with confusion as Cassie nodded.

"Twice, actually." Cassie said.

"I didn't know that." Theo said honestly as Cassie nodded.

"Well now you do." Cassie said, "Ok, got it. Brings up the full reports." She said, grabbing the mouse from him, "Is that all I need to know?" She asked, quickly closing the reports down.

"Yeah… yeah, that should be it." Theo nodded, looking at her.

"Ok, now you actually need to tell me what I'm writing a report on." She turned to him.

"Oh, yeah… right. I've left all the notes here in a pile." Theo patted, "I'm going out for a couple hours so if you need anything either call me or ask someone else around here." He said, "Ok?"

"Ok, yeah." Cassie nodded as he stood up, grabbing his things and leaving the station as Cassie took the paper work he'd left her and began writing up the reports.

Out of curiosity, she clicked back into the system, typing her name back into the search bar and watching the reports pop up. She then erased her name and typed in her father's name. She began scrolling down the reports, realising there was more than she'd expected, continuing to scroll and scroll, "Oh my God." She shook her head at all the files which had popped up.

She went back to the search bar and added her mother's name into it, noticing twice as much appear. She clicked onto one of the reports and looked on at the mug shots of her parents side by side on the computer screen.

She read both the charges for shoplifting and assault, her parents being only seventeen years old. She stared at her father's black eyes and her mother's odd smirk on her face, like neither of them really gave a damn. It was hard to see her parents in those mug shots in front of her. They seemed like completely different people.

She clicked out of it, scrolling through the other files as she noticed a high profile report highlighted. She assumed it had to have been one of her father's arrest, so she clicked into it, confused when she saw a mug shot of another man.

"Who the hell are you?" Cassie spoke to herself, leaning forward towards the computer screen, "Daniel Brooks." She read.


	5. Add It Up

**Add It Up**

* * *

"Look what Jude just sent me." AJ said, turning her phone to Punk who she was sitting with, curled into him in a booth in a dimly lit bar downtown, "Another scan picture." She smiled.

"Hey, it looks just like her." Punk teased, looking at the black and white picture on the phone as AJ smiled, leaning into his torso as his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"I still can't believe it." AJ shook her head with a smile.

The upside of all of their children being grown adults now, was getting a ton more time to themselves. They'd lost so much of their prime together. Basically the entirety of their thirties, that this was nice to have all the time in the world again. Even if it was just going for a morning walk at the docks, or spending a night in a cosy bar downtown. It was peaceful and so relaxing.

"Are they finding out what it's gonna be?" Punk asked her.

"I think so." AJ nodded, "Jude thinks it's a girl." She said.

"It's a guessing game right now." Punk said, rubbing his hand up and down her arm sweetly.

"I'm worried about Thea." AJ admitted. There was a peace in their life now, one which they hadn't seemed to have found until the past few years. Things finally felt settled. They were content and every day they got to wake up to each other they counted themselves the luckiest. But being worried parents, no matter what age their girls were, wasn't something that had left.

"Why?" Punk asked.

"Well they're moving away to a different state." AJ said, "They're not gonna know anyone. It's just the two of them and the kids."

"They'll meet people. New work friends. Neighbours. Parent friends." Punk said, "They're grown ass adults, Ape."

"I know they are. I'm not saying they're incapable but… I don't know, it always just made me feel better than I saw Thea all the time and that she was just five minutes away. It meant I knew she was doing ok and she… she wasn't drinking." AJ sighed.

"And you think she's gonna start drinking agin once they move?" Punk asked.

"No, look… I have faith in my daughter. And I know she's been clean for the longest time but… it just worries me that she's got no family around her anymore." AJ said.

"We'll still visit her every week." Punk reminded her, "And she's got Dominic. She's not alone."

"I know." AJ sighed, "Maybe I just don't wanna let her go." She frowned.

"I don't either but… she's doing the right thing. She can't be out of a job when they've got two kids and a house to run. She's not that far away." Punk said, "You can call her every night and check in." He said, "Or facetime… is that what it's called?" He asked as AJ chuckled.

"Yes, that's what it's called." AJ said as he nodded, "I'm gonna miss babysitting the kids. I hope they don't get too upset about moving. Do you remember when we moved from our apartment and Thea wanted to go back?" She smiled fondly.

"Yeah, she kept saying she wanted to go back to ten beef." Punk chuckled to himself as AJ nodded, "But… she got used to it, and so will James and Sofia. It's a new adventure for them." Punk smiled.

"Remember we thought about leaving this place? After Jude was born?" AJ asked him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah… sometimes I think we should have. We might not have lost those eight years." Punk said.

"Or Marina would have found us anyway." AJ said, "No point in saying what if." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Punk said, "Thea's gonna be fine." He nodded to assure his own self.

"Aren't you gonna miss her?" AJ looked up at him.

"Of course I am. Trust me, I'd rather she stayed. But…she's a grown ass woman. She has been for the longest time. She's got her own family, her own responsibilities. Part of me is excited for her. It's like a fresh start… not that she needs one but… it's something new and different."

"Yeah you can always see the bigger picture." AJ patted his chest, curled into him, "I'm just selfish and want my first baby to stay with me forever." She said as Punk chuckled.

"I do too, but… she's more than capable of branching out." Punk nodded.

"I know." AJ smiled, "I can't believe we're getting another grandbaby. Imagine how many we could have between the three of them." She said as Punk chuckled a little.

"Calm down." Punk suggested as she smiled.

"They could have three kids each and we'd have nine grandkids. Nine, Phil." AJ said with amazement as Punk chuckled to himself.

"That's pretty terrifying actually." Punk thought about it as AJ nodded in agreement, "You know what I just realised the other day."

"What?" AJ asked.

"The Brooks name is gonna die with me and you." Punk said as AJ thought about it.

"Oh, yeah." AJ realised, "Technically… I'm still just April Mendez."

"You seriously never got it changed?" Punk asked her.

"Oh, why bother now?" AJ scoffed as Punk rolled his eyes, "I never realised that either actually." She said as Punk nodded, "Would you have wanted a boy?" She asked him.

"No… No, I'm a girl dad." Punk nodded to himself, "Can't beat it." He said as AJ smiled, kissing his shoulder, "Plus, I got a grandson and he's the best." He said as AJ smiled.

"He really is." AJ agreed.

"If there's anyone I'm worried about right now it's Cassie." Punk admitted.

"Why?" AJ asked.

"I just hope they're not making things difficult in the station for her… because of me." Punk said, "She works hard and I hate that she feels like she's not being taken seriously." He said.

"Isn't it just cop mentality? The idea that you gotta thick skin and take heat from everyone?" AJ asked, "She won't be a rookie for much longer." AJ said, "I know she can handle herself."

"I know that too but… I don't want her to become disheartened. She works like crazy at it and I want her to feel like it's paying off." Punk said.

"It will." AJ said, "She's got determination. Kid doesn't quit at anything." She shook her head as Punk nodded, knowing that to be true, "This music is so nice." She smiled with relaxation, enjoying the atmosphere of the busy bar as she lounged into her husband. The safest place she could ever be.

* * *

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jude answered the door to her little sister.

"Hey, I just got off work." Cassie said, "I brought you some blue lemonade. Mom said you've been craving it."

"Oh, yeah. I have." Jude nodded.

"I also brought you some cake." Cassie nodded as Jude smiled.

"Are you trying to fatten me up?" Jude questioned, "Because apparently my face is on the way there."

"Please, you're a stick." Cassie scoffed, walking on into the house as Jude closed the door over, "Sean at work?"

"Yeah, he's home at nine." Jude nodded, following her through to the kitchen, "You didn't see him?"

"No, I was out all day." Cassie said as Jude nodded, "Mom and dad have gone out so I figured I'd come see how you're doing." She said.

"Well I'm better now that you've brought me cake." Jude smiled, "You want a slice?" She asked, already opening up the cake to cut herself a slice.

"No, I'm good." Cassie nodded, sitting down at the table, "How did the scan go?" She asked.

"Oh, good. Yeah, here it is." Jude reached over for her purse, finding the sonogram picture and handing it over to Cassie.

"Sweet." Cassie smiled, "Healthy?" She asked as Jude nodded.

"Mhm." Jude nodded, "Heard the heartbeat today. It's real strong." She said as Cassie smiled.

"That's good." Cassie smiled, "So when do you find out the sex?"

"In a few weeks. We booked that appointment today actually." Jude nodded, sitting down at the table with her lemonade and cake, "It's the same week that Thea moves."

"Bummer, huh?" Cassie nodded.

"Hey, she's gotta do what she's gotta do." Jude said, "She's not a country away. If I need to see her I can drive for an hour and a half and see her." She shrugged, "It's not the end of the world."

"I know but… it's still weird that she's not gonna be just five minutes away anymore." Cassie said.

"Yeah, I know." Jude said, "How is the job going?" She asked her little sister.

"It's hard." Cassie admitted, "Some days I don't even wanna go." She shook her head.

"Are people making it difficult for you?" Jude asked.

"No, it's fine." Cassie said modestly.

"Cass." Jude said.

"They just don't take me seriously. Even when I do everything right and I do everything the way I'm supposed to." Cassie said, "I mean I don't… I don't know how else to prove to them that I actually want this-"

"Hey, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. You're doing this for you, and because you're damn good at it. Don't let anyone step in the way of that." Jude made clear as Cassie smiled.

"I get so much access to so many files. The system they use in the station shows up everything. Even the littlest of things." Cassie said, "I typed mom and dad's name in the other day." She said as Jude chuckled a little.

"I bet that was fun." Jude chuckled.

"Not really." Cassie shook her head as Jude looked across at her, "I mean there was… so much. And some of their mug shots… it's like I can't even see them as my parents. It's just so strange." She said.

"Yeah, I bet." Jude understood. She figured it had to be hard working in a job which had ultimately took so much from them, which had broken their family apart, which had always been the 'enemy' in their parents eyes. She was inspired by her sister's attitude to do what she wanted, and be who she wanted.

"I came across something." Cassie said, being desperate to talk to someone about it.

"What?" Jude asked, putting majority of focus into her cake she was enjoying too much.

"Well when I was looking through mom and dad's files, obviously Brooks was logged into the search bar. I came across this guy… Daniel Brooks." Cassie said as Jude looked across at him.

"Who is that?" Jude shook her head.

"I don't know." Cassie said, "But he's been in prison for murder for thirty years."

"What age is he?" Jude asked.

"Sixty eight." Cassie looked across at her sister wearily as Jude raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, God." Jude cringed a little as Cassie nodded, both of them thinking the same thing.


	6. Nothing To Know

**Nothing To Know**

* * *

"Is this guy still in prison?" Jude asked.

"No, he was released three years ago." Cassie said, "Did dad ever talk about his dad?" She asked.

"No… no, as far as I know he and Dean didn't know anything about him." Jude said, "You think it's him?"

"I mean… it adds up, right?" Jude said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, it does." Cassie said, "I just came across it. It was all highlighted which means it's… a high profile case." She said.

"Murder?" Jude raised her eyebrows as Cassie nodded, "In what context?"

"A hit and run." Cassie said, "Eighteen year old girl."

"Jesus Christ." Jude shook her head, "Do you think dad knows?"

"There's no way." Cassie said, "Sam probably doesn't even know."

"Wait… what prison was he in?" Jude asked.

"I'm sure it was cook county." Cassie nodded.

"That means dad was in prison at the same time as him." Jude said, "Oh my God." She shook her head.

"This is what I get for not minding my own business." Cassie folded her arms, annoyed with herself at awakening this burden, "Do you think I should say something?"

"No, are you kidding?" Jude said, "Dad and Dean are not interested in some guy who abandoned them. Some guy they don't even know."

"I don't like knowing." Cassie said, "I gotta tell people." She said childishly.

"What good is it going to do? Hey dad, by the way, your dad who abandoned you, he's not just scum for that but he's scum for killing an eighteen year old girl." Jude said, "I'm sure he'll be thrilled."

"Doesn't he deserve to know? Him and Uncle Dean." Cassie said as Jude sighed.

"Well… yeah, yeah of course they do but is it really worth bringing it up? This guy is a total stranger to them." Jude shrugged.

"Dad was a total stranger to me when I met him." Cassie pointed out.

"That's different. You were a child." Jude scoffed, "Plus how keen are we on introducing ourselves to a murderer?" She raised a brow.

"People can make mistakes. Don't you believe in redemption?" Cassie asked.

"Not for murderers." Jude shook her head.

"So just for drug dealers?" Cassie asked as Jude looked across at her.

"This is why being a cop was gonna be extra hard for you." Jude nodded, "There's stuff I know that mom and dad have done, that I'm happy not knowing about. I don't need to know that stuff. We don't." Jude said, "But you might come across it. You might find things that you don't like…"

"This hasn't anything to do with mom and dad. Not really. This is a guy who is our family, who is still out there… that no one knows anything about." Cassie said, "At least with mom's parents we know they hate us and want nothing to do with us. This guy probably doesn't even know we exist."

"Yeah and… we've done fine without him so far. And so has dad." Jude said.

"Then what about Sam? Maybe she'd like to know what happened to him and where he is." Cassie said as Jude scoffed, "I just don't like knowing when everyone else doesn't. It feels wrong."

"If you want to tell dad and Dean, go ahead. I'm just saying it might open up a can of worms." Jude said.

"I knew I should have gone to Thea." Cassie scoffed as Jude smiled.

"She'd probably say the same as me. She's got wise in her old age." Jude nodded as Cassie shook her head.

"She's still insane." Cassie nodded, "I'm kinda worried about her going off and living in a different state."

"Yeah, me too." Jude nodded, "But she's gonna be fine. She's got Dominic. And the kids. She's starting a new chapter." She said, "And she's really not that far away."

"Yeah, I know." Cassie agreed.

"So what are you gonna do?" Jude asked.

"I don't know…" Cassie huffed, "Maybe I'll find out more about what happened before I decide to tell anyone else. Maybe find out a little bit more about who Daniel Brooks is." She said.

"Ok, but don't go looking for things. Don't get yourself in trouble." Jude said.

"Well they already hate me at work anyway. It's not gonna make a difference." Cassie shrugged.

* * *

"Sofia, it's time for bed, baby." Thea walked into her daughter's bedroom where Sofia was lying on the floor.

"I want to sleep here tonight." Sofia explained.

"Well you can't do that. Wouldn't you rather be all comfy under the covers?" Thea asked, pulling back Sofia's bed covers.

"No, I want to sleep here." Sofia said as Thea looked over at her. Her daughter was a handful for sure. She had been told by her parents that she was just like her when she was a little girl. She figured this was her karma perhaps.

"Do you forget I can just come over there and lift you up?" Thea asked.

"No." Sofia giggled.

"Yes." Thea said, walking over and lifting her up under her arms as Sofia giggled, "You'll never beat mommy." She teased, putting Sofia down into her bed, pulling the covers over her.

"Mommy." Sofia said.

"What?" Thea said, tucking the covers over her, crouching down by the side of the bed.

"I want to be a big girl." Sofia said, "Like you. And… And aunt Jude. And Aunt Cassie." She explained, holding onto her furby.

"No you don't." Thea smiled, sitting down on the edge of the bed, tucking Sofia's hair behind her ear, "Believe me." She whispered to herself.

"I don't wanna be a baby." Sofia huffed.

"But it's so fun being all little." Thea said, "I wish I could be little again like you."

"You do?" Sofia gasped. She couldn't imagine that.

"Yeah." Thea nodded.

"We'll swap!" Sofia exclaimed as Thea chuckled.

"No, baby… you're perfect just as you are. Don't ever wish to be anyone else." Thea said, leaning down and kissing her cheek softly as Sofia smiled, playing with Thea's hair sweetly, "You have sweet dreams." She said.

"I'll try." Sofia nodded as Thea smiled, getting up from the bed and heading out of the room, watching Sofia turning onto her side, hugging into her furby tightly. There was no denying she was raising the sweetest kids in the world.

She headed into James' bedroom where the six year old was already sleeping, walking over to his bed and crouching down, brushing her hand over his hair and smiling.

"Sweet dreams, buddy." Thea smiled, leaning forward and kissing his head, making sure the covers were tucked up over him before leaving the room, heading downstairs and finding Dominic in the kitchen.

"Did she go down?" Dominic asked her.

"Yeah. She wanted to sleep on the floor but… I got her in the bed." Thea said as Dominic chuckled to himself.

"James went out like a light. Little guy must have been tired." Dominic said.

"Well this school thing can be stressful." Thea said as Dominic smiled and nodded, "You want some coffee?" She asked him, placing her hand on his back as she walked further into the kitchen.

"I've just made some in the pot." Dominic nodded.

"Oh." Thea smiled, taking a mug out and pouring herself some coffee.

"So we can start moving stuff into the new house. I got a call from the realtor whilst I was at work today."

"Really?" Thea said, sitting down at the table across from him, "God, I feel like we've barely packed up anything yet. I've not even touched anything in the kids rooms." She sighed to herself.

"Yeah, we should probably get a move on. Your dad said he'd swing by and help box up some stuff." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"I think I'm just putting it off and putting it off." Thea said, "Because I don't want to leave." She shrugged.

"Yeah, I know." Dominic said, "But… thing of it as a new chapter. We can make it like an adventure for the kids." He said, "It doesn't have to be a negative thing. It might be the best thing we'll ever do."

"I'm just gonna miss my family." Thea shook her head, "I was never one of those people who always dreamed about getting out of their home. I like living here. I love Chicago." She shook her head.

"I do too." Dominic said, "But this is what we gotta do." He said, "We'll still come back here, your parents and sisters can come visit. We're not too far away." He assured her.

"I know, I know… I guess they're just a safety blanket for me." Thea shook her head, "They always know when something is wrong… they're always looking out for me." She said, "For both of us." She said, "And we're not gonna have that anymore."

"We have each other, though." Dominic nodded, "We'll be fine." He smiled as she nodded.

"Oh, I know we will." Thea nodded, reaching over and taking his hand, "But I suck at making friends." She said as he chuckled, "I'm serious. My… my best friends are my sisters." She said truthfully as Dominic nodded.

"I know that." Dominic smiled, "I don't think you'll be able to replace them as friends but… we'll try make some people like us. The neighbours at least." He teased as Thea smiled.

"Yeah, we'll try." Thea smiled, leaning over and kissing him sweetly.

* * *

"Hey, you." AJ smiled, getting home later that night, walking into the kitchen where Cassie was sitting at the table in her pyjamas, wet hair from the shower she'd taken, using her laptop in front of her.

"Hey, mom." Cassie smiled as AJ hugged her from behind, "How was your night?"

"Oh, it was nice." AJ smiled peacefully.

"Where'd you go?" Cassie asked. As an adult, she was able to appreciate seeing her parents at peace, especially with the life they'd lived.

"Just a bar downtown." AJ said, "It was the cutest place, you would have loved it." She said.

"Hey." Punk smiled, walking into the kitchen where he tossed his car keys onto the counter.

"Hey." Cassie nodded, "Nice night?" She smiled.

"You kidding? Any night with this one is more than nice." Punk smiled, wrapping his arm around AJ as she smiled up at him, scratching under his stubbly chin as Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, alright." Cassie looked back at her laptop as Punk smiled.

"I'm gonna put my sweats on." AJ said, looking up at Punk as he smiled.

"Why?" He chuckled.

"Because I ate too many bar snacks tonight." AJ looked up at him as he kissed her, "And I've been dying to unbutton my jeans forever." She said as he pecked her lips again, continuing to do so as she spoke about how much she'd overrate.

"Alright, a girl is working here." Cassie announced, getting irritated as Punk chuckled.

"What you working on?" Punk asked her as AJ disappeared out of the kitchen to go change into her sweats desperately.

"Reports." Cassie said, "I never finished them at the station a few days ago so… Theo told me to finish them at home." She said.

"Homework, huh?" Punk said, sitting down across from her at the table.

"Yeah." Cassie nodded tiredly.

"You look kinda tired." Punk noticed.

"I am." Cassie said, "Here I was thinking I'd just get to eat donuts and drink coffee all day." She teased as Punk smiled.

"Yeah that's just the shitty cops who do that." Punk nodded, "You ate?"

"Yeah, I grabbed something on my way home." Cassie said. Even though she was twenty-one and could obviously take care of herself, AJ and Punk still felt obliged to do so since she still stayed at the house with them, "Swung by to see Jude too."

"How is she? She sent your mom a pic of her scan." He smiled.

"Yeah, she showed me." Cassie nodded, "She's fine. I gave her some blue lemonade and cake… I've never saw her face light up so quickly." She said as Punk chuckled, "Hey, dad can I ask you something?" She asked.

"You just did." Punk smiled as Cassie raised a brow, "What's up?" He nodded.

"Did you ever meet your dad?" Cassie asked him.

"My dad?" Punk asked as Cassie nodded, "No… no, I never met the guy."

"What about Uncle Dean?" Cassie asked, "Why didn't you guys ever see him?"

"He left when Dean was just born." Punk said, "I was one. I don't know anything about him." He shook his head.

"Nothing at all?" Cassie asked.

"Not even his name." Punk said.

"You never asked Sam?" Cassie shook her head.

"No… no, I didn't see the point. He wasn't in my life. I had no interest in it." Punk said truthfully as Cassie nodded slowly.

"So you don't have any interest on finding out who he is? Doesn't it bother you?" Cassie asked.

"No." Punk shook his head, "It's not something I think about honestly. Sure when I was young, growing up, a teenager… yeah, I kinda wished I had a normal set of parents. But then… you grow up. You move on." He nodded.

"He could be anyone, though." Cassie said, "You could pass him on the street and you wouldn't even know."

"Exactly. He's just a stranger." Punk nodded, "And as far as I'm concerned, someone who walks out on two kids… probably not a decent guy anyway." He shrugged as Cassie looked across at him, "Why the questions?" He asked her.

"Just… wondering." Cassie smiled, "I know about mom's parents and what they're like but… I guess I never really knew about your dad."

"Not much to know, honey." Punk nodded as she smiled watching him stand up and leave the kitchen as she sighed to herself.


	7. Leaving

**Leaving**

* * *

"Hey." Dominic said, walking into the empty kitchen where Thea was standing in the centre of, folded arms as she looked across at him, "The van has left." He told her, holding the car keys, "If we wanna get there at the same time, and get some stuff unloaded into the house, we really gotta head off now." He said.

"Yeah… yeah, I know." Thea sighed to herself, "It's just… harder than I ever thought it would be." She shook her head as Dominic nodded.

"I know." Dominic nodded, "Still kinda feels like just yesterday we moved in. No kids. No marriage yet." He smiled as Thea nodded, "We did a lot in this place."

"Yeah, we did." Thea nodded, "Where are the kids?"

"Your mom and dad are outside with them." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"I hate that this feels like goodbye." Thea sighed, "Because I know it's not."

"Of course it's not." Dominic said, "They're gonna drive down this weekend to see us." He chuckled a little, "It's just a couple days."

"God, I know. I'm being ridiculous." Thea shook her head.

"No, you're not." Dominic shook his head, "You've got good parents. I get it." He nodded.

"Ok, just take my hand and drag me out." Thea sighed, extending her hand out as Dominic smiled, taking her hand and leaning over to place a kiss on her lips as she kissed back before he lead the way out of their empty house.

"No, Papa… like this!" Sofia exclaimed, showing Punk how to play hop scotch on the pavement. Punk kept messing up, pretending he had no clue what he was doing. He enjoyed watching her freak out over it.

"That's what I'm doing." Punk insisted, hopping on both feet on the slabs.

"One foot!" Sofia exclaimed whilst Cassie shook her head and chuckled.

"Is Jude still not here?" Thea asked, walking out of the house with Dominic, "We really have to get ready to go." She sighed.

"Wait it out five more minutes. She's at her hospital appointment remember." AJ said as Thea nodded, "You got everything? Have the kids got everything?" She asked motherly.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "Yeah, it's just one big echo in there." She said as AJ smiled softly.

"Try not worry so much." AJ cupped her cheeks, "You've got this." She nodded as Thea smiled.

"Thanks, mom." Thea smiled, wrapping her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly. To think the time with her mother would be decreasing now was perhaps affecting her the most. Looking back on her life, she really wasn't sure if she'd be here without her mother.

"Why is everyone hugging?" James wondered, looking up at Cassie who had dashed away from work on her break to see Thea and Dominic before they left.

"What's wrong with hugging?" Cassie asked him, "Huh?" She smiled, picking James up and hugging him tightly as he laughed.

"Stop." James giggled as Cassie squeezed him tightly, "Aunt Cassie." He got her attention.

"What?" Cassie said, putting him down on his feet.

"Do you know our new home? Because it's not here anymore." James said. He was worried that none of his family knew where they were going. While Sofia had no idea what was going on, James was slightly aware that they were leaving.

"Of course I know." Cassie said, "And I'm gonna come visit you this weekend." Cassie crouched down in front of him, "So… I'll see you in a few days." She smiled.

"Oh." James said in a thankful tone, "Ok." He smiled as Cassie messed his hair up playfully.

"Hey, you." Thea came up behind James, "Go see what snacks daddy got you for the car." She told him as James ran away to his father as Cassie stood up straight.

"He was just making sure I had your new address." Cassie smiled.

"And do you?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, I got it." Cassie smiled, "And I'll see you in a couple days." She said as Thea chuckled and nodded.

"It's all so stupid, isn't it?" Thea said as Cassie shook her head.

"No… you're still leaving this place." Cassie understood, "But… it's not a goodbye."

"It's not." Thea agreed, "You gonna tell him?" She asked, looking over at their father who was playing with the kids. A few weeks had gone by and Cassie had told her oldest sister about her findings in the stations computer systems. Her findings about their potential grandfather.

"I'm still looking into it. I don't wanna cause any unnecessary distress for him. It's the last thing he needs." Cassie shook her head.

"Yeah, I know but it's his dad." Thea said, "He's too proud to admit to any of us but I bet there's a part of him that would like to know." She nodded.

"Yeah, I think so too." Cassie said, "I gotta know everything about it first."

"Just be careful." Thea said as Cassie smiled and nodded, "If you ever need anything just… call me. I'm still your big sister." She nodded.

"I know." Cassie nodded.

"And you're gonna be the best damn cop ever." Thea nodded as Cassie chuckled happily, "Don't let anyone else trick you into thinking you don't got what it takes. Because you sure as hell do." She said as Cassie smiled.

"Thank you." Cassie smiled as Thea wrapped her arms around her tightly.

"Don't tell Jude but… James thinks you're the coolest." Thea said as Cassie chuckled in the embrace.

"Yeah, I know he does." Cassie smiled, "I'm gonna miss them both." She sighed, looking over at James and Sofia playing with Punk.

"You'll see them in a couple of days." Thea said, trying not to get upset as Cassie nodded, hugging her sister tightly.

Just then Jude and Sean pulled up outside the house. Jude was relieved they'd managed to get back in time before her sister took off.

"Hey." Jude said with relief, "I didn't know if we were gonna catch you guys." Jude said as Sean joined her.

"How did the appointment go?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, tell us the gender." Thea nodded.

"Wait, is everyone here?" Jude asked, looking around.

"Yeah. Go on, tell us." Punk nodded eagerly as Jude looked up at Sean.

"You tell them." Sean smiled to her as Jude nodded.

"We're having a girl." Jude smiled happily as they cheered, embracing Jude and Sean with congratulations and excitement on the announcement.

"You hear that?" Punk turned to James and Sofia, "You're getting a little girl cousin." He said as James folded his arms unhappily.

"Why is everyone a girl?" James asked unhappily as Punk chuckled to himself.

"Yeah… welcome to my world, buddy." Punk messed with his hair, "You'll learn to love it." He nodded, overjoyed by the news of gaining another granddaughter.

"T, we really gotta get going." Dominic nodded to Thea.

"I know, I know." Thea sighed, embracing Jude, "Ok, call me whenever you want." She told her little sister as Jude nodded.

"I can't believe you're going." Jude sighed sadly.

"I know." Thea shook her head, "But I'll see you soon, it's fine." Thea chuckled lightly whilst Dominic helped the kids into their car seats with AJ and Punk's help.

"You're the best big sister ever." Jude nodded as Thea smiled.

"Really? I think you could have gotten better." Thea nodded as Jude pushed her, "Hey, don't push me." Thea warned sisterly as Jude smiled, "You take care of this baby." She warned.

"I will." Jude smiled, "I love you." She shook her head. Her big sister had really been there for her over the past years. Dealing with the aftermath of being raped was something she never thought she'd have to go through, and her family had been the best support system she could have asked for. Especially her big sister.

"I love you too." Thea smiled, "Make sure Cassie doesn't put up with any shit at the station, yeah?" She whispered.

"I'm already on it." Jude promised as Thea smiled.

"Ok… Ok, I will call you." Thea said as Jude nodded, watching as Thea headed over to the car, "Are they in?" She asked Dominic, looking into the back seat where James was already watching a film on his console whilst Sofia was playing with her dolls.

"Yeah, they're good." Dominic nodded, saying his final goodbyes to everyone whilst Thea only had one more to say.

"You got your toys for the journey?" Punk asked her as Thea laughed a little.

"Toys? I'm gonna be taking a nap." Thea said.

"Yeah? Welcome to parenthood." Punk nodded as she smiled, "You're gonna be just fine." He said as Thea nodded.

"I hope so." Thea chuckled a little, "You'll look out for Jude, won't you?"

"Who's that?" Punk teased as Thea scoffed, "Why are you saying it like that?" He chuckled.

"Because maybe I never let onto how much she still struggles." Thea said as Punk looked over at Jude who was saying goodbye to Dominic, "She still sometimes shows up to my house crying. Reliving it all." She said, "And I can't bear the thought of her not being able to talk to someone about it now just because I've left." She said.

"We'll take care of her, don't worry." Punk said. The best thing about having three daughter's sometimes wasn't about his bond with them, but their bond with each other. He loved seeing that.

"And take care of mom." Thea nodded as Punk chuckled a little.

"My wife? Yeah, I will." Punk smiled.

"And Cassie. She works so hard and she's so good at what she does… please make sure she doesn't get discouraged by morons." Thea said as Punk nodded.

"I'll do my best." Punk smiled.

"Ok, we gotta go." Dominic nodded to Thea.

"Ok." Thea sighed, turning to Punk and nodding, wrapping her arms around him tightly as Punk hugged her back, kissing her head.

"You got this." He said, "And you know exactly where we are." He said as Thea nodded, blinking a few tears out which ran down her cheeks.

"Ok." Thea took a deep breath, breaking away from the hug, opening up the car door and getting in, drying her tears as Dominic also got into the car.

Punk watched as they drove away, sighing to himself. The worry was there, of course it was. But he knew his oldest daughter like the back of his hand. She had her own, wonderful family now, and this was a new journey for her.

"You ok?" Punk asked, walking over to AJ who nodded.

"Miss her already." AJ frowned as Punk smiled, kissing her head and nodding. It was sad, but he also felt some sort of pride. It really was like his baby was fleeing the nest, for real.


	8. Reflection

**Reflection**

* * *

"So this is where we look in on the interviews that are going on." Theo explained as Cassie followed him into a control type room with some monitors which showed activity in the interviewing rooms, "Normally you'd get your higher ups in here, detectives, sergeants, captains… but, you never know when you might be asked to come in." He said.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, take a seat." Theo nodded as Cassie looked at him, carefully sitting down on the chair, making sure he didn't pull it away from her as he chuckled a little.

"Gotta watch out for myself in here." Cassie mumbled.

"Ok, this button. Press it." Theo pointed, leaning over beside her.

"This one right here?" Cassie made sure.

"Yeah." Theo nodded as Cassie pressed the button, suddenly hearing sound coming from the monitors where some interviews were taking place.

"Oh, cool." Cassie said, hearing what was going on in the rooms.

"So normally it'll just be one or two people conducting the interviews so… if it's a high profile case we'll get a team back here, ready to go out and react quickly to whatever the interviewee has said. If they've dropped a name or any sort of information that we need to get quickly." Theo explained.

"Yeah, ok. Makes sense." Cassie nodded.

"To turn the sound back off you just click that button again." He said as she clicked the button, turning the sound off.

"Not too difficult." Cassie said.

"You also gotta make sure this red light is on here." He pointed to the system where the wires were all sitting, "This means that the interviews are being recorded. If that light isn't on, we lose that footage, which you don't want to do, believe me." Theo said.

"How do I make sure it's recording? What do I do if I come in and the red light isn't on?" Cassie asked.

"There's a switch at the side of the monitor there." He showed her as she turned her head round, "Just make sure the switch is down. It all gets recorded and logged onto that computer over there." He pointed as Cassie nodded.

"Ok. I can get my head around this." Cassie nodded confidently.

"Good." Theo said, taking a seat beside her in front of the monitors, "So how you been finding this? Honestly?" He asked her as she turned to him.

"Honestly?" Cassie asked as he nodded, "I go from feeling invisible to a piece of shit." She said.

"But you still show up every day." Theo pointed out.

"Yeah well… I worked hard to get here, and I love this. I don't care what people think, it's not gonna stop me." She shook her head as Theo nodded with a small smile. It was the first time he'd actually been nice to her.

"You have a good attitude. You're gonna be a good cop." He nodded truthfully.

"Oh, really? I thought I was too pretty to be a cop?" She questioned.

"Well…" Theo nodded to himself, "I had no idea about... what happened to you when you were younger. And your sister." Theo said.

"What about my sister?" Cassie said defensively.

"Well… she was raped." Theo nodded as Cassie looked at him.

"Are you looking into my family's records?" Cassie shook her head.

"I got curious after seeing a bunch of stuff come up when I typed your name in. I figured you'd came from a rough family but I didn't know it was… as bad as it was."

"I didn't come from a rough family." Cassie said, "I come from a good family. Who've taken care of me." She said, "It's other people that are the problem."

"Right." Theo nodded.

"You don't have to know my history to be nice to me. I don't want sympathy." Cassie shook her head.

"I know and I'm not giving you it but… not many fifteen year olds get kidnapped, twice. And held at gunpoint." Theo said as Cassie nodded.

"Well, they're missing out, it's so much fun." Cassie said sarcastically as Theo smiled a little.

"Is that why you wanted to be a cop?" He asked, "Did that light a spark in you?"

"I don't know if it was that entirely." Cassie said, "I don't know, I've always been super agitated. I'd never get an office job. I gotta be moving and I figured what's more chaotic than being a cop?" She shrugged.

"Yeah, it can get crazy around here." Theo nodded, "Not that I'm snooping on you or anything but I saw you had looked into some guy on the system. Daniel Brooks-"

"Clearly you're snooping." Cassie scoffed.

"No, you were just logged into my computer, so when I went in I saw what you had been looking at." Theo said.

"Oh." Cassie realised.

"You related to him?" Theo asked.

"I think he's my grandfather. It's kinda complicated." She said as Theo nodded.

"Well since you're my rookie, I gotta make sure you know that… you shouldn't really be looking into records and files that you don't have to. Especially from closed cases." He said.

"I figured." Cassie nodded, "Sorry." She shook her head.

"You're fine." Theo said.

"But… didn't you look into my family's files?" She questioned as he looked at her.

"Maybe I'll let you off the hook." Theo nodded as Cassie smiled.

"Yeah." Cassie agreed.

"I'm real sorry about what happened to your sister. It sounded awful." Theo said.

"It was." Cassie nodded, "Those people got what they deserved, though." She said as Theo nodded.

* * *

"Hey, so how does it feel with Thea moved away?" Dean asked, standing down at the docks with Punk.

"It's kinda strange, I guess. You know… knowing she's not just five minutes away anymore." Punk said, "But we're going to visit her at the weekend so it's not like we're not gonna see her." He said, "It might be good for them to have a fresh start. New place, new people around them." Punk shrugged.

"So you're not worried?" Dean asked.

"Worried about what?" Punk asked him as Dean looked across at him.

"Well it's… it's Thea." Dean said as Punk stared at him.

"Your point?" Punk asked, slightly angrily.

"Look, don't get all hot about it." Dean told him, "It's not like you don't know what she's like. She's not the most responsible."

"She's been clean for years, Dean." Punk shook his head, "She's a grown ass woman. With kids. She's not gonna relapse just because she's moved."

"I'm not saying she will." Dean said, "I'm just concerned for her, that's all."

"Well she's fine. They both are." Punk said as Dean nodded.

"How is AJ feeling about it all?" Dean asked him.

"I mean… she's sad about it but, Thea's got her own family now. And it's not a goodbye. She's just two hours away. An hour if I break a couple speed limits." Punk shrugged.

"Yeah, I know." Dean nodded, "How is Jude doing?" He asked as Punk nodded.

"She's good. Healthy." Punk nodded.

"Another girl?" Dean chuckled a little.

"Yeah, this is my karma." Punk nodded, "A whole bunch of women." He said as Dean chuckled.

"Let's hope this one isn't as insane as Sofia. That kid is crazy." Dean scoffed as Punk chuckled.

"Well she's just like her mom." Punk nodded.

"Too alike." Dean said as Punk chuckled, sitting down along the brick wall as Dean sat beside him, lighting up a cigarette.

"You think I should be worried about Thea?" Punk worried a little.

"Hey, no… no, don't listen to me. I'm just being worried for nothing." Dean said, "I know Thea has been clean for years." He said, "She'll be fine." He patted Punk's back as Punk nodded.

"I just realised this morning that I've been out of prison for… twelve years today." Punk nodded to himself.

"Has it been that long?" Dean thought to himself.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "I feel like these past few years have been the best." He said, "Even before I went to prison, things were good but… there was always a worry. There was always something at the back of my head." He said, "Now everything just feels calm."

"It's called getting old, buddy." Dean nodded, "I feel it too."

"No, it's not an old thing. It's just… it's the first time I've ever felt peace in my life." Punk said, "My kids are all thriving. Me and Ape get to spend so much more time together. It's like we're teenagers again."

"You don't look like a teenager." Dean informed him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I got that." Punk assured him, "I just feel like things feel calm now."

"Well you're not worried about anything. It's not like we got people after us. Or we owe people anything." Dean said, "Like when we were kids." He shook his head.

Being older and wiser gave them a lot of time to reflect. It had been a crazy life, they'd seen and been through a hell of a lot. It almost felt strange for things to be so peaceful.

"Is it bad I'm kinda on edge waiting for something to go wrong?" Punk turned to Dean.

"I feel the same." Dean understood.

"So does April. We talk about it all the time." Punk said.

"I guess it's just the life we've lived." Dean said as Punk nodded, "It's nice not having to worry, though. Right?"

"Oh, I still got worries." Punk nodded.

"Yeah but they're just every day worries now. Not someone's trying to kill me and my family worries." Dean said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Punk nodded.

"You feel old?" Dean asked him.

"No, not really." Punk shook his head, "I don't know if it's because I was in prison for eight years that I… I feel like I should be younger than what I am, because I lost that time." He said.

"What about Ape?" Dean asked.

"I think what makes her feel old is seeing the girls get older. For the longest time Cassie was still our baby and now she's twenty-one and a cop." Punk shook his head, "I know that makes April feel old." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, a cop? Who would have thought?" Dean chuckled to himself.

"And she's damn good at it." Punk said as Dean nodded, "I think they give her a hard time at the station… because of us." He said, "Our reputation."

"That doesn't seem fair." Dean sighed.

"She doesn't take crap off anyone, though. She's got thick skin. All of them do." Punk said.

"When does she stop being a rookie?" Dean asked, "Maybe it's just a rookie thing. The teasing and tormenting."

"I think she's got another year of it." Punk nodded, "Then she's got more responsibility. She said once she's on better pay she'll start looking at apartments. I don't think April wants her to move out."

"Shit, that'll be all three of them gone." Dean said as Punk nodded, "Cassie seeing someone?"

"Like a boyfriend?" Punk asked as Dean nodded, "No. No, she's… she's actually never had a boyfriend. Well, not one that I know of." He said.

"She's still young." Dean shook his head.

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'm not mad about it." Punk chuckled, "She's pretty career driven." He nodded.

"That's a good thing." Dean said as Punk nodded, "Boys will always be around. Good careers? Not so much." He said as Punk nodded.

"I hope Thea is getting on ok with the new house. I think they had a lot of renovating to do." Punk said, "Remember when we moved into the new house when Thea was just a little kid?"

"I do, yeah." Dean nodded, "God, that still feels like it was yesterday." He said.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Punk nodded.

"She'll be fine. Her and Dominic are good together." Dean said, "It's probably a blessing that they both know addiction really well."

"Yeah, Thea as always said that to me. She couldn't imagine having a husband that didn't know what all of that felt like. I'm glad she has him. He's a good guy. Sean is too." Punk nodded.

"You think there's wedding bells on the horizon for Jude and Sean?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. I… I really didn't expect them to be having a baby or get married any time soon. It's not really Jude's frame, you know?" Punk said, "But she's… she's super happy and it's so good to see."

"Yeah, she deserves some good in her life." Dean sighed to himself, "Poor girl has been through it."

"Yeah, but you know how much she hates people saying that." Punk said.

"Yeah, I know." Dean said, "Just can't imagine it."

"I know she still struggles. And it kills me because there's really nothing you can do. It's my first time as a parent feeling like I literally can't make it better, at all." He said, "And I know what I'm feeling is nothing compared to what she must be feeling." He said.

"She's got good people around her." Dean nodded.

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "She always called Thea her free therapist so… I'm kinda worried now that Thea is gone she might just bottle it all up." He shook his head.

"No, she's got the rest of us too and she knows that. Plus Thea is just a phone call away or… facetime? Is that what they call it? Facetime?" Dean wondered.

"Something like that." Punk nodded, "We should probably get back to work." He nodded, looking out onto the docks which had developed and changed over the many years.

"Yeah, back to the grind." Dean nodded, jumping down from the wall as Punk did too, jumping on Dean's back as Dean almost fell over.

"How much do you weigh, dude?" Dean exaggerated, not being able to hold Punk off, "You gotta lay of those donuts." He said as Punk chuckled and shoved him forward, messing around just like when they were kids. Everything yet nothing had changed.


	9. Out of Place

**Out of Place**

* * *

"I hate this stupid place!" Thea yelled, walking into the living room as she threw her purse across the room whilst Sofia and James sat on the couch watching her.

"Mommy, do that again!" Sofia giggled hysterically and clapped. She was very entertained and extremely giggly.

"What's going on?" Dominic walked into the living room.

"Dominic, I hate this stupid place and everything about it." Thea ripped her coat off.

"Mommy, you're blocking the TV." James sighed, sitting with his sister watching their before bed programs on TV.

"Oh, sorry angels." Thea sighed, watching Sofia jump off the couch, running over and getting her purse.

"I hate this place!" Sofia yelled, throwing her mother's purse across the room, mirroring Thea's actions as Dominic chuckled to himself, watching Sofia laugh to herself.

"Baby, are you copying me?" Thea asked as Sofia nodded, jumping back onto the couch with her brother to finish watching her TV program.

"You had a bad day at work?" Dominic assumed.

"Everything is different here." Thea sighed, "Everyone at work just wants to talk about their kids all day, and PTA fundraisers and community clubs." She rolled her eyes.

"And you're not interested in that?" Dominic nodded.

"Oh, forgive me for having some personality." Thea rolled her eyes, storming through to the kitchen as Dominic nodded to himself. He figured this would happen.

He followed her into the kitchen, dodging his way around the different boxes which they still hadn't unpacked in their new home.

"Ok, talk to me." Dominic nodded.

"I hate it here." Thea shook her head.

"It's been a couple days, babe." Dominic said, "You gotta give it a chance."

"Everything is just so different. The people are different." Thea said, "It's too quiet. I was driving home tonight and I didn't get stuck in one bit of traffic."

"Why are you mad at that?" Dominic laughed.

"Because it's just reminding me that we're not in Chicago." Thea said, "I love the city. I love the sound of it, I love how it smells… I mean, don't you think the air smells weird here?"

"No." Dominic laughed.

"I miss the docks." Thea said, "Everything around here is just grass." She shook her head.

"I know you miss Chicago. I do too." Dominic nodded, "But we gotta get used to this. If not for us then for the kids. This is their new home now."

"There's nowhere to even take the kids." Thea scoffed, sitting down at the kitchen table, running her hands through her hair.

"You just miss Chicago. It's normal." Dominic nodded, "We'll get used to this place. We'll find places to go and we'll meet new people." He said as she sighed, "It's just gonna take a little bit of time to settle in."

"I don't feel like I'll ever be settled here." Thea shook her head, "I didn't realise how much I loved Chicago until now." She said.

"It's a good place." Dominic nodded, watching as James came toddling into the kitchen.

"Mommy, are you mad?" James wondered curiously as Thea turned and looked at him.

"No, baby. I'm not mad." Thea frowned, taking his hand as he walked over to her, "I just miss our old home, that's all." She said, picking him up and sitting him on her knee, "Can mommy get a hug?" She asked. She needed a hug.

"Yeah." James nodded, hugging into her as Thea squeezed him tightly whilst Dominic smiled.

"I already feel so much better." Thea smiled as she received her hug from her son as Dominic smiled.

* * *

"Do you mind if I just stay behind tonight to finish these reports?" Cassie asked Theo, sitting at his desk, "I prefer doing the here. When I go home I just wanna go to sleep." She laughed a little.

"Yeah, sure." Theo nodded, "Just remember and close the computer down when you're done."

"Ok." Cassie nodded, watching as Theo left the station whilst she carried on with her reports.

She was having a difficult time finding out information about her possible grandfather. She didn't really get time on her own to look into things, and whenever she did she didn't find much as she was still trying to figure out how to use the system. She wanted to get all the information she could before bringing it to her father and uncles attention.

"Cassie, is it?"

Cassie turned around, noticing the old man walking towards her with a walking stick as she nodded.

"Yeah." Cassie nodded, "And you're… the guy my dad warned me about who likes to hang around here? Retired cop?" She realised as Hamilton nodded.

"So your dad warned you about me, did he?" Hamilton chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, he did." Cassie said, "Aren't you retired?" She questioned.

"Yeah but I… I swing by every now and then to see how things are going." Hamilton explained, "When I found out you were here in training I almost had a heart attack. It's a bad day when the baby Brooks is old enough to work. Makes me feel extremely old." He nodded.

"You are extremely old." Cassie nodded as Hamilton chuckled to himself, pulling out a chair to sit at the desk beside her, "Not to be rude, but I have these reports to do. I don't have time to chat."

"How is your dad?" Hamilton nodded, "Haven't seen him in a while."

"My dad is fine." Cassie nodded.

"And your mother?" Hamilton asked.

"She's fine too." Cassie nodded briefly, "Judging by what I've heard about you, you're not their biggest fan so… why are you being nice?"

"I wasn't their biggest fan because they were trouble." Hamilton scoffed, "Bad kids."

"Bad kids?" Cassie chuckled.

"I'm sure you've saw all the files by now." Hamilton nodded, "They were vicious. Every time I got a call out to go arrest them I dreaded it. And you know… sometimes I think your mom was the worst." He said.

"Look, if you think you're giving me brand new information, then you're wasting your time. I… I know everything." Cassie nodded.

"Oh, I know." Hamilton said, "I guess seeing you working here gets me to reminiscing. If you would have told me Phil Brooks and April Mendez's kid would be a cop I… well I probably would have laughed."

"Why is that funny?" Cassie asked, not impressed.

"Well you come from such a bipolar opposite environment to this-"

"I'm sick of people saying that. Like I was raised by wolves." Cassie rolled her eyes, "My mom and dad have raised me to be a good person. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Well… they weren't particularly raised right, were they?" Hamilton said.

"And that's not their fault." Cassie said.

"I know. It's their parents." Hamilton nodded as Cassie looked across at him, "Phil and Dean were doomed from day one. April the same. Couldn't have picked two worse set of parents."

"You… You knew both sets of parents?" Cassie asked.

"I knew your mom's parents. Because of drugs and… other things. I knew Sam from… street corners and other things. Didn't know your dad's dad."

"Yeah, no one seems to know him." Cassie nodded to herself, "Since you know what kind of life they both came from, why were you never easy on them? Didn't you have some sort of sympathy?"

"I did. I used to." Hamilton nodded, "But… your parents weren't nice people, Cassie. Your mom used to steal from people, right under their nose. Your dad was as angry and aggressive as they come." He said as Cassie looked at him, "And they didn't care."

"I know all of this." Cassie assured him, "They were young. They grew up."

"Never doubted they'd stick together until the end." Hamilton nodded to himself, "How do they feel about you working here?"

"They're really proud of me. And happy for me." Cassie nodded, "They're not evil people." She shook her head. She had a hard time hearing about people's views on her parents. She knew they weren't saints, but she just couldn't see them as being anything but her amazing parents who loved her and did everything they could to help her.

"Oh, I know." Hamilton nodded, "How is your sister?"

"Both sisters are fine." Cassie said briefly as Hamilton nodded.

"Theo's a good kid, isn't he?" Hamilton nodded.

"When he's not bullying me… yeah, he's ok." Cassie nodded.

"Well I better let you finish those reports." Hamilton nodded, "I don't wanna get you in trouble." He said, getting to his feet slowly as Cassie nodded, watching him walk off down the station as she leaned back on the chair at the desk. Sometimes she felt extremely out of place.

* * *

"Just got off the phone with Thea." AJ said, walking into the bedroom, "Practically crying tell me she misses how Chicago smells." She shook her head with confusion as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, Chicago does have a distinctive smell." Punk agreed.

"Like what? Crime and traffic?" AJ questioned.

"Exactly." Punk nodded, "She really upset?"

"I managed to cam her down." AJ said, "She just said it's so different. So quiet. She really is a city person."

"Yeah well remember when she was three she used to hang out our apartment window and yell at everyone walking by?" Punk chuckled, getting into bed as AJ smiled.

"Yeah and she would always watch people coming off the bus. She knew all their names. She was kinda nosey, wasn't she?" AJ chuckled.

"Oh, she was the worst." Punk agreed teasingly as AJ smiled.

"It's just gonna take some time for her to settle in." AJ nodded, getting into bed beside him as Punk nodded, sitting up against the headboard.

"We'll see her this weekend and bring the Chicago smell with us." Punk nodded as AJ chuckled, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around her.

"I'm having lunch with Jude tomorrow." AJ told him.

"How come I never get invited to lunch?" Punk frowned.

"You're working." AJ laughed a little.

"Still… I'd like to be asked." Punk scoffed.

"Bless her heart, she has a million and one questions for me about babies and… being pregnant." AJ shook her head as Punk smiled.

"Well you've got plenty of experience." Punk said as AJ nodded, "You think she's doing ok?"

"Yeah, why?" AJ looked up at him.

"Well I know she always talked to Thea about things. I'm just worried she bottles it up now." Punk said.

"She knows she can talk to us about it. And she's got Sean." AJ said, "Don't worry so much."

"Can't do that I'm afraid." Punk said as AJ nodded, "Cassie is still not home yet. She must be staying late again."

"Yeah she's a little work horse." AJ smiled, "I just hope they stop giving her such a hard time. Kinda feel like it's our fault."

"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded truthfully, "She's destined to be there, though. Kid can't sit still for nothing. It's the perfect job for her." He said as AJ nodded.

"It really is." AJ nodded, shuffling closer to him as he smiled, "Since we have an empty house." She looked up at him with a devious smile as he chuckled.

"You got something in mind?" He smiled.

"Yeah, something." AJ nodded, climbing over him and straddling him as she pressed her lips against his, feeling his arms wrap around her body as they slid further down the bed.


	10. Attack

**Attack**

* * *

"What are you doing up?" Dominic asked, screwing his eyes up at the sudden light as he walked into the kitchen. When he didn't feel Thea in bed, he figured he'd come down and check out where she was. He had a hunch he'd find her sitting in the kitchen with a cigarette.

"I can't sleep." Thea shook her head.

"Well yeah, you're drinking coffee and smoking." Dominic nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table tiredly.

"I'm just struggling to accept that we gotta live here." Thea nodded to him, putting her cigarette out on the ash tray and sliding it over, "Moving was never something I wanted to do."

"I know that but you're… you're looming over it for too long. You gotta accept it." Dominic nodded, "You can't just barely make it through every day wishing you were in Chicago. We gotta just accept that this is where we live now and we gotta get used to it." He said as Thea nodded.

"I know." Thea sighed, "I just never thought it'd be so difficult." Thea shook her head.

"Well of course it's gonna be difficult. We've lived in Chicago all our lives. Our families are there. Kinda feels like we're isolated now." Dominic said.

"Yeah, it does." Thea agreed, "I feel kinda lonely." She nodded to him.

"We'll settle in here. We'll make friends. Work will get easier." Dominic said, "I figured this weekend we could go into town and see what places there are. Any parks that we can take the kids to. Really explore the place better." He said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Thea agreed, "They're gonna start sensing that I miss Chicago and then I'm scared that they might start missing it because I've drew attention to it." She said, "And I'm worried about James starting a new school on Monday." She said stressfully, running her hands through her hair.

"James will be fine. He's just a little kid. Kids make friends so much easier than adults. It's you and I that have the hard task there." He said as Thea smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right." Thea nodded, "I just don't want him to be left out or… feel worried about fitting in." Thea sighed, "He made so many little friends at his old school. I feel awful for taking him away from that so quickly." She shook her head sadly.

"It's not your fault." Dominic said, "You gotta stop thinking so much about these things. You're gonna make yourself sick with worry." He nodded.

"I can't help it." Thea sighed to herself.

"Do you trust me?" Dominic asked.

"Of course I trust you." Thea nodded immediately.

"It's just gonna take some time to settle in here. It's new and different. It's not exactly the fast-pace city life we're used to. Maybe we'll come to enjoy it. Things feel a lot calmer out here-"

"Boring, you mean?" Thea rolled her eyes as Dominic smiled.

"It's just different." Dominic said, "And we'll get used to it." He said, "I say on Saturday morning we take the kids out for breakfast. We find a cool spot in town. Take them to a park. Check things out." He said as Thea smiled.

"That sounds good." Thea smiled, "The kids will enjoy that. Although, Sofia asked for my dad tonight. And my mom." She said, "I think they miss them."

"Well they've been close to them. Sofia was spending like… four days a week with your mom and dad. But they'll see them soon." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah." Thea smiled, "I called Jude earlier, she told me her and Sean were out for dinner and they had to leave because she felt so sick." She said, "I remember being really sick with Sofia."

"It's a girl thing." Dominic waved his hand as Thea smiled.

"I can't believe I'm gonna have a niece." Thea smiled to herself, "I wish I was there to help her more. I think she's super bummed that I'm not there."

"Of course she is." Dominic said, "But we'll go visit as much as we can. And they can come visit us. We'll make it work." He said as Thea nodded.

"I don't know if I could have gone through with all of this without you. I would have freaked out so much. Even more than what I am right now." She laughed a little, "You have to teach me your ways." She nodded as Dominic smiled.

"Come over and I'll teach you then." Dominic said as she smiled, standing up and moving onto his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his as he kissed her sweetly.

* * *

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Cassie." Jude shook her head, standing in her kitchen with Cassie whilst Sean sat at the table eating some cereal before he headed out for his night shift.

"Why?" Cassie shrugged.

"You don't even know who this guy is. No… actually, you do. He's a murderer." Jude said, "No way."

"Murder can be taken in many different contexts. May I remind you of our older sister?" Cassie asked.

"That's not even the same thing." Jude rolled her eyes.

"It might be. You don't know this guy's story." Cassie said.

"Cass, I'm with Jude on this one." Sean nodded, "You don't know this guy-"

"Oh, just you eat your cereal and butt out of it." Cassie warned as Sean nodded to himself, continuing to eat his cereal.

"He killed an eighteen year old girl years ago. He left her. Hit and run." Jude said, "Why do you want to know this guy?"

"I want dad to have the option to get to know his dad. It's never too late-"

"Cass, do you honestly think dad wants to know the guy who walked out on him and Dean? Do you think he loses sleep over not knowing his dad?" Jude asked, "Because I guarantee you he doesn't."

"But maybe he'd feel different." Cassie said, "Maybe if I told him I'd met him and spoken to him… he'd feel different."

"No, he'd be mad." Jude said, "He'd be mad with you and you know he would."

"Well then maybe I'm just curious." Cassie shrugged.

"Yeah, that's a cop thing." Sean pointed to Cassie whilst nodding to Jude.

"No, it's not a cop thing." Cassie said, "He's our family."

"You've never met the man in your life." Jude reminded her, "He could be a horrible, horrible person. I mean he's been to prison, who knows what he's like-"

"Yeah because we aren't familiar with ex-convicts. My bad." Cassie scoffed sarcastically whilst Sean chuckled a little.

"Eat your cereal." Jude nodded to Sean who smiled dramatically.

"I'm just saying that maybe I go meet him and find him first before telling anyone. That way if he is a total dick then I don't need to bother telling anyone. I can just forget about it." Cassie said, "Dad doesn't need to know."

"He'll find out." Sean scoffed, adding his input every now and then between enjoying his cereal.

"Don't you have work to go to?" Cassie asked him as Sean rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm gonna leave before one of you attack me." Sean scoffed, putting his bowl over in the sink, "I'll see you in the morning." He said, leaning over and kissing Jude.

"Ok, babe." Jude smiled, cupping his cheek, watching as he leaned down and kissed her bump as she smiled, scratching his head playfully.

"I hope she isn't as mouthy as you two." He rubbed Jude's bump sweetly as Jude smiled.

"I hope she is." Jude smirked as Sean smiled, grabbing his coat as he looked over at Cassie.

"Cass, sometimes you just gotta leave things alone. It's better not awakening stuff you have no clue about. It really seems to me that your dad and uncle are… they're ok with not knowing about their dad." He said.

"They've never had the option of knowing." Cassie said.

"Just… think about it." Sean nodded to her, "I'll see you guys later." He nodded, leaving the kitchen and heading out to work as Cassie sighed to herself.

"He's right, you know." Jude nodded, "Why wake all this up? Who's gonna benefit from it?"

"Well I was hoping dad and Uncle Dean." Cassie said.

"I can't stop you. You're a grown ass woman." Jude nodded, "But just think about it. It makes me really uncomfortable thinking about you going out and talking to this guy. You have no idea who he is or what he's done." She said, "And yeah, maybe there's reasons for what he did but… what if there's not? What if he is just… a guy who walked out on his kids and killed a young girl in a hit and run?" She asked, "You wanna bring that into dad and Dean's life?"

"No, of course I don't." Cassie sighed to herself, sitting down at the kitchen table, "I don't know, I just wish I never came across his file now." She sighed, "I feel bad knowing about it and not telling dad."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Jude shook her head as Cassie sighed to herself.

''I guess." Cassie nodded, disheartened, leaning her folded arms on the table and resting her chin on top.

"You want some dinner? I was gonna call for a pizza." Jude said.

"Yeah, go on." Cassie nodded.

* * *

"My back is killing me." Dean groaned, climbing up the ladder up from the docks, finishing up work with Punk as they headed home for the night.

"Knots, probably. April is good at getting mine out." Punk nodded to him.

"I'm sure she is." Dean smirked as Punk shook his head, "So when are you going to visit Thea?"

"Sunday, I think." Punk said, "Me and Ape are both off Monday so we're gonna stay at a hotel, make a night of it." He nodded, "What's in Milwaukee?" He asked.

"Nothing I'm interested in." Dean scoffed.

"Yeah, April had Thea on the phone last night saying that she misses Chicago. That she misses the smell of Chicago." He shook his head.

"I know what she means. Chicago has a good smell." Dean agreed, "It's only been a couple days. She's gotta give it a chance." He chuckled.

"Yeah well you know how impatient and stubborn Thea is." Punk said.

"Yeah, I do." Dean nodded, watching as Renee pulled up in the parking lot to pick him up.

"I could have dropped you off." Punk said.

"She was on her way home from yoga." Dean shrugged.

"Yoga?" Punk laughed a little.

"Dude, she learns all these positions it's amazing." Dean exaggerated, "I'll try get her to take AJ with her. You'll thank me." He patted Punk's back who chuckled.

"Yeah, Ape doesn't need yoga, believe me." Punk nodded cockily as Dean shook his head.

"I'll see you tomorrow, idiot." Dean said as Punk nodded, watching him head over to Renee's car, waving to Renee who waved back, picking Dean up and driving off.

Punk walked off to his car, which was ultimately the only car left in the parking lot. It'd gone dark since they had worked late, and it was eerily quiet.

He got his car keys out, unlocking the car as he walked towards it, pulling on the door handle to open it up as he suddenly felt someone grab his head from behind, banging it off the car window.

He was no stranger to violence. He'd spent eight years in federal prison. He'd grew up on the streets. Fought just to survive at times. But… he was no spring chicken, and he came to realise there was more than one person attacking him.

He got a few punches in, grabbing one of the middle aged men by the neck, but there was four or five of them and he couldn't do much else before they were beating him down to the ground.

He felt his shoulder pop out of place at one point, blood beginning to seep out of wounds on his face, sliding down the car and sitting on the ground as he held his shoulder in pain.

He looked up at the middle aged men, making sure to get a look at them. He wished he knew who they were, it'd make things easier in the aftermath, but he'd never seen these guys in his life.

"The hell you want?" Punk spat some blood out as one of the men crouched down, putting his hood down and looking across at Punk. He noted the tattoo on the man's face under his eye. He was desperately trying to think of what the purpose of this was for. Who had he pissed off now?

"You tell Thea… I'll find her." The man nodded to him, grabbing Punk's shoulder as Punk groaned in pain before watching the group of guys walk off out of sight.

Punk leaned his head back against the car holding his shoulder in pain. Of all the things he expected to hear from these guys, that wasn't it.


	11. Wait

**Wait**

* * *

Punk managed to get into his car, driving home with his shoulder out of place, dried in blood over his face as he kept his eyes on the road ahead of him as best he could.

He finally got home, parking outside and limping out of the car, hobbling his way to the front door and opening it up. He was in excruciating pain with his shoulder, not to mention he felt like his face was constantly being stepped on.

He closed the front door behind him, hobbling through to the kitchen.

"Hey, babe. You're late." AJ called from the kitchen, sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine as Punk limped into the kitchen.

She turned around with a smile, of course happy to see her husband like any other night, but immediately jumping out of the chair, her face dropping when she saw the state he was in.

"Oh my God, Phil." AJ panicked, "W-What… what happened to you?" She walked over to him, "Oh my God." She placed her hand on his arm as he shook his head.

"I gotta get this back in." Punk groaned.

"What?" AJ shook her head, not understanding what was going on.

"My shoulder." Punk groaned, sitting his car keys down, walking over to the wall as AJ watched him.

"Phil, what are you-" She paused as she watched him bang his shoulder against the wall, listening to a popping sound as he yelled out in pain, "Phil." AJ's voice broke with worry as Punk leaned his forehead against the wall, feeling relieved by his shoulder banging back into place.

"I'm ok." Punk assured her.

"No you are not." AJ said, "What the hell happened to you?" She walked over to him, guiding him over to the kitchen table as he limped over, "Sit down." She said softly, pulling the chair out for him as he sat down at the table carefully. She never thought she'd see him come home like this ever again. She thought these days were well behind them.

"Some guys jumped me when I was getting into my car." Punk told her as she got the first aid kit out from under the sink, opening up the box.

"Who? W-Why?" AJ shook her head, "Did you see their faces?"

"Yeah, I saw them." Punk nodded as she walked around to him, standing between his legs as she cleaned his face with a wipe, watching him jerk his head a little at the pain.

"Sorry." She sighed, cleaning his face up as she felt him lean his head against her stomach, sighing to himself as she looked down at him, "What is this about, Phil?" She dreaded to know, lifting his head up to look at her in the eyes.

"I don't think Thea left here because she got transferred." Punk looked up at her.

"What?" AJ shook her head, "What are you talking about? What has Thea got to do with this?"

"The guys who jumped me didn't say anything… apart from… tell Thea, we'll find her." Punk said as AJ looked down at him, stepping back a little.

"What the hell does that mean?" AJ questioned in panic.

"I have no fucking clue." Punk leaned back against the chair, "But I've got a feeling she does."

"Who are they? Do you recognise them?" AJ asked.

"Never saw them in my life." Punk shook his head.

"Why would Thea know them?" AJ questioned as Punk looked across at her.

"Why do you think?" Punk asked her as she looked at him.

"No." AJ shook her head, "No, she hasn't… she hasn't taken anything since she was eighteen. That is way behind her." She said, "That was years ago. Years." She said.

"I know dealers when I see them." Punk said, "And they knew exactly who I was. I could see it in their face." He said as AJ shook her head.

"No, no way." AJ said, "When Thea was… using… she never went to anyone directly for anything-"

"April!" Punk yelled as AJ looked at him, "She was on drugs. She would have told you anything to make you believe she was ok. No one gets drugs just by their friends." He said, "You know that, I know that." He said as AJ looked across at him.

"She told me she'd get it from people at school. That they knew dealers-"

"Yeah, well… that's fucking bullshit." Punk shook his head, "This is why if I was here when this shit was going on-"

"Don't even go there." AJ warned him as Punk looked at her, "What? If you were here you would have stopped it all?" She laughed a little, "Is that what you were gonna say?"

"I would have found who was dealing her drugs, yeah-"

"So you think I didn't do the right thing?" AJ questioned, "You think I could have done better?" She asked as Punk shook his head.

"I'm not saying-"

"You have no idea what it was like." AJ said, "Don't you dare." She warned him, "Seriously." She said as he looked at her. He knew he'd struck a nerve, and he didn't mean to. He was just extremely anxious and concerned. Words were just spilling out. She knew that on some level too.

"How many years was she using?" Punk asked her, cleaning his face up himself as AJ had abandoned the first aid kid.

"A year… year and a half." AJ nodded.

"Cocaine?" Punk asked.

"Yes. You know this." AJ spat.

"Where was she getting the money from?" Punk asked her.

"She used her lunch money I think, she… took some from Jude too." AJ shook her head as Punk looked across at her.

"You know fine well that lunch money doesn't cover that type of shit." Punk said.

"Well I thought her friends were buying it for her!" AJ yelled as Punk shook his head.

"She owes them money." Punk said, "And I'm betting she knows she does. That's why she's moved."

"You don't know that. You know nothing. You're just assuming. These might not even be dealers-"

"Then who they are? Her friends?" Punk stood up painfully.

"Be careful." AJ said, "Phil, she hasn't used in years. Why would they do this now?" She questioned.

"Because they've either been in prison or she hasn't been clean for as long as we think she has." Punk said.

"I know my daughter. She has." AJ gritted her teeth.

"Hey, I'm home!" Cassie called as she walked in the door. AJ looked across at Punk worriedly, knowing they couldn't hide anything from her.

"We're in here." AJ gulped, folding her arms.

"Hey, I just stopped by Jude's and had some pizz-" Cassie stopped mid word as she arrived in the kitchen, looking on at her father, "Dad, oh my God." Cassie raised her eyebrows.

"I'm fine." Punk nodded.

"No you're not. Oh my God, what happened? What happened to you?" Cassie walked over to him worriedly.

"It's ok, I'm ok, really." Punk rubbed her arm softly.

"No you're not!" Cassie said angrily, "What happened?" She turned to her mother.

"He… He was jumped on his way home." AJ said briefly.

"What?" Cassie turned to Punk, "Why? Wh-Who?" She shook her head.

"I-I don't know." Punk said, looking over at AJ who was shaking her head behind Cassie, "They just jumped me and then left."

"Oh my God." Cassie said sadly, wrapping her arms around her dad tightly.

"Yeah, I think I have a broken rib." Punk winced a little upon her tight hug.

"Oh my God, sorry." Cassie pulled back right away, "Gosh, why would someone do this?" She asked with confusion, "I gotta page this in. We can find whoever did this… I can find whoever did this." She said confidently.

"No, please… please don't." Punk begged.

"No way. Look at you. You were just coming home from work and you get jumped? I'm gonna find them. Whoever they are." Cassie spat angrily.

"Cass, it's fine. It was just kids messing around-"

"Well fuck them kids. I'll find them and they'll be arrested. Look at your face." Cassie said, "I'm gonna call Theo-"

"Cassie, no. Don't." Punk said, looking over at AJ, "We think this might have something to do with Thea." He said. He couldn't keep it from her. She wasn't a child.

"What?" Cassie shook her head.

"They know Thea… somehow." Punk said, "And one of the guys said they were gonna find her. I don't think your sister moved away because of a job." He said as Cassie looked across at him.

"What are you talking about?" Cassie shook her head, turning to her mother, "What are you saying?"

"Your dad thinks they were dealers." AJ nodded.

"Why the hell would Thea know-" Cassie paused, looking over at her mother, "Oh." She thought to herself, "Oh God." She panicked a little, "Is she in trouble?"

"No, she's… she's gonna be fine." AJ assured her. No matter how old her children were, the need to protect them and assure them was always going to be there.

"How do you know that?" Cassie said, "I should tell someone. I can get these people. Whoever they are."

"No, just… for now, leave it. I gotta talk to Thea." Punk said, "I'm gonna drive up in the morning."

"We have to get the police involved. I have to." Cassie said.

"No, not yet. We don't know anything. I need to speak to Thea first-"

"When will you ever learn?" Cassie spat as Punk looked across at her, "I'm a cop now. I don't have to turn a blind eye to this stuff. Whenever you try and fix something on your own someone ends up shot or kidnapped." She said as Punk looked at her, "I don't have to put up with this shit anymore."

"Cassie, I have no idea what Thea has gotten herself into." Punk said, "So before we go talking to cops-"

"I am a cop." Cassie reminded him.

"I know that." Punk said, "Before you go to work and tell people about this, let me figure out what the hell is going on with your sister. Ok?" He said as Cassie shook her head, unhappily.

"That's just wasting time." Cassie nodded.

"And don't tell Jude about this." Punk shook his head, "She doesn't need the stress." He made clear, "I gotta shower." He shook his head, limping out of the kitchen as Cassie watched him.

"Why is he like that? Why can't he just handle things like normal people?" Cassie turned to her mother.

"Let him cool off." AJ advised, "He's frightened." She said. She knew her husband, she knew what he was feeling without having to ask him or get confirmation from him.

"He just got jumped in the street and he doesn't even look phased by it." Cassie shook her head, "What the hell is going on with Thea?"

"I don't know." AJ shook her head, that was the troubling part.

* * *

The next morning, Punk woke up and headed off to Milwaukee pretty much as soon as the sun was rising. He nor AJ had slept much through the night. His face was now bruised black and blue. His shoulder and ribs painful from the beating he'd gotten.

He drove for an hour and a half before finally pulling up at Thea's new house. He had only wished that he was seeing the new house under better circumstances.

He pulled up outside the house, noticing Thea's car still there which meant she hadn't left to take James to school yet. She was always late for everything.

He got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him as he watched the front door to the house open.

"James, your bookbag!" He heard Thea calling from in the house whilst James opened up the door, running out.

"Papa!" James noticed as Punk smiled.

"Hey, buddy." Punk smiled. Boy was he glad to see his grandson in the midst of all this uncertainty, "Hey." He smiled, lifting up James, forgetting he possibly had broken ribs and wincing as he done so.

"James." Thea called, walking out of the door, pausing as she saw her father.

Punk put James down on the ground, straightening back up as Thea got a better look at him, noticing his face was covered in bruises.

"Oh my God." Thea whispered to herself, "James… go back inside."

"Oh, what? Why? We need to go to school." James frowned.

"Just… go back in and watch some TV for a little bit." Thea nodded to him as James huffed, running back into the house as Thea walked down the steps and towards her father, "W-What… what happened to you?" Thea asked, folding her arms as Punk looked across at her.

He could see on her face that she knew what had happened and who had attacked him, which worried him even more.

"You and I need to talk." Punk nodded as she looked across at him.


	12. Your Past

**Your Past**

* * *

"What happened to you?" Thea asked worriedly as Punk looked across at her.

"Is Dominic home?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, he's still sleeping. So is Sofia." She said, "Why are you here?" She asked wearily.

"I met some of your friends last night." Punk nodded, "Nice guys." He said, walking past her and heading into the house as Thea gulped, following after him quickly.

"What the hell does that mean?" Thea followed him through the house.

"What do you think it means?" Punk asked her, turning around and looking across at her as they stood in the kitchen, "What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Thea? I'm in fucking agony here. Probably have a couple broken ribs. My shoulder keeps moving in and out of place." He said as Thea gulped, "What the hell is going on?"

"N-Nothing… Nothing is going on." Thea shook her head. All she had wanted was to keep her family out of this. Seeing her father so beaten up only made her feel incredibly guilty.

"Cut the bullshit. Just tell me." Punk said, "I'm not leaving until you do. If you're in any kind of danger or trouble, I need to know."

"I'm not." Thea defended as Punk stared at her. Who was she kidding… she knew he was onto her now. There was no way she could keep it to herself. Her dad, more so than anyone, could see right through her.

"Tell me what the hell is going on." Punk said in a serious tone. His scary dad voice that still scared her, even as a grown woman.

"Mommy." James made his way into the kitchen unhappily, "Am I not going to school today?" He folded his arms as Thea looked over at Punk.

"Mommy will take you in at lunch time, ok? Go… Go watch some of your programs on TV." Thea nodded to him calmly.

"Ok." James said, running back out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"If you are in danger… if the kids are in danger… I need to know." Punk said as she looked across at him, "Did you move here because someone is after you?" He questioned as Thea gulped, nodding slowly.

"Yeah." Thea said as Punk sighed to himself, running his hands over his sore face, "But… you can't tell Dominic. He doesn't know."

"What?" Punk shook his head, "Why doesn't he know?"

"Because I didn't want to worry him. And I knew he'd tell you and then the whole thing would spiral out of control. I thought it'd be better if we just moved away. My work were transferring people. I never got picked but I… I actually offered, so we had an excuse to go." She said.

"Who are these guys? What do they want from you?" Punk asked her.

"They used to deal me stuff when I was younger." Thea nodded, "I… didn't exactly have money for them. Not the kind of money they wanted." She said, "And I was too far gone to realise that they were gonna hold me to it." She said.

"Why now? It's been years since you used." Punk said.

"They wound up in prison. The head of the group, Austin, he ended up in prison for years so… no one ever came to me for anything." Thea shrugged.

"How long have they been harassing you?" Punk asked her. He knew it would be something like this that was going on. It was the only explanation.

"About a year. He came to the house a couple times. Found me at work in the parking lot. I gave him everything I owed but he… he wouldn't leave me alone." Thea said worriedly.

"This Austin guy… tattoo under his eye?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "He was… he was friends with Jackson."

"Of course he was." Punk nodded to himself, "How much does he want from you?"

"It doesn't matter what I gave him. He just kept coming back." Thea said, "And I was scared Dominic was gonna find out or that the kids were in danger so I thought the best thing to do was to move. I never thought he would have come after any of you-"

"Who is this group? Where are they based?" Punk asked her.

"Southside." Thea nodded, "I… I hung around with them a little when I was younger. They're not… good people-"

"I've gathered that." Punk assured her, running his hand through his hair, "Why didn't you tell me? Why haven't you told anyone?"

"I thought I could just handle it on my own." Thea said.

"Trust me, that doesn't work for anyone." Punk said, "You need to tell Dominic."

"He'll flip out-"

"Yeah, he has a right to." Punk said, "You should have told him about this. I mean have these… have these guys hurt you?"

"No… no, they haven't touched me." Thea nodded honestly, "I just didn't know what to do."

"If you're in trouble you tell me." Punk said, "You don't just move away and think it'll all disappear. You can't run from shit like this. It just gets worse." He said.

"I just didn't want anyone to worry." Thea said as Punk looked across at her, "It just reminds me of that time in my life that still haunts me and keeps me awake. I just wanted to disappear."

"There's no such thing with people like this." Punk said.

"Isn't this what you did to people?" Thea asked, "You were a dealer." She said.

"I was more… a supplier." Punk said, "But that's not important right now." He shook his head, "You gotta tell me everything you know about these people."

"What are you gonna do?" Thea worried.

"Just tell me." Punk said, sitting down at the table as Thea gulped. She wanted to feel more relieved that someone finally knew what she had been keeping to herself, but it was harder to accept the reality of it. The reality being she was in trouble with very bad people.

* * *

"What do you think is going on?" Cassie asked, sitting at the kitchen table with her mother.

"I don't know." AJ said worriedly. She hadn't slept all night. She couldn't. She dreaded to know what was going on with Thea. What she had been keeping from them.

"I thought she was clean." Cassie said.

"She is. I know Thea. She's not been using." AJ said confidently, "I don't know if this is from the past, when she was young… I don't know anything." She shook her head.

"I don't even remember her being on drugs." Cassie shook her head.

"You were only five or six." AJ shook her head, "Count yourself lucky." She nodded.

"I do." Cassie assured her, "You think this is to do with money?"

"Well your dad thinks so." AJ nodded, "I never thought she was involved with actual dealers. I just thought she got it from friends." She shook her head.

"It's not your fault." Cassie shook her head.

"Yeah well ask your dad." AJ said, still mad with Punk over what he had said to her.

"He's angry and worried. You know how he gets." Cassie shook her head, "Maybe once Thea tells him what's going on, we'll know better." She said as AJ nodded. She was just trying to keep her mom calm.

"Did I not do enough?" AJ wondered to herself, "Did I not protect her enough?"

"Mom, you did everything you could." Cassie said, "Dad has no idea what it was like. If it wasn't for you I don't know if Thea would have… gotten through all of that." She said, "This is not your fault."

"I should have looked into it more. I should have… I should have tried to make sure she wasn't in trouble-"

"You were on your own looking after three kids, splitting yourself between all of us, your job, your sanity." Cassie shook her head, "You did your absolute best and that was enough." Cassie made clear.

"Me and your father should have done everything we could to prevent you girls from making the same mistakes we did." AJ shook her head.

"And you have. You guys raised us to know our good from bad. Thea just ran into some trouble when she was young and maybe… maybe it's caught back up to her but we'll help her. And we'll make it right." Cassie nodded.

"She always told me that she got… the drugs from friends. That it wasn't dealers she was meeting." AJ shook her head.

"She probably just didn't want to worry you. And she was so far gone with it that she would have told you anything to get you off her case." Cassie said, "I mean I don't… I don't remember what she was like but from what I hear… she was pretty bad."

"She was terrible. And that's her past now. And believe me, pasts can come back and haunt you. We know that better than anyone." AJ shook her head.

* * *

_15 years ago…_

"_Where are you going looking like that?" AJ stood in the kitchen, just home from work as she helped 6 year old Cassie get her homework out. She was met by her eighteen year old daughter in some denim shorts and a crop top._

"_Just out." Thea said briefly._

"_Oh, out. I know that place." AJ nodded to her._

"_Out with some friends. I don't have details." Thea shook her head._

"_Thea, it's freezing outside. You're not wearing that." AJ rolled her eyes, "Go put some jeans on or something."_

"_Don't say you're feminist and then tell me to change my clothes." Thea said with agitation as AJ rolled her eyes._

"_I'm more thinking about you getting hypothermia actually." AJ said._

"_Could I get twenty dollars?" Thea asked._

"_For what?" AJ shook her head._

"_Oh, mom… for like food and stuff. Why do you need to ask so many questions?" Thea asked angrily as AJ looked over at her._

"_No, you're not getting money." AJ shook her head. She had a bad attitude, mixed with always being out with her friends and getting high, AJ for sure was concerned about her._

"_Seriously?" Thea looked across at her._

"_Yeah, seriously." AJ said, "I'm not your personal bank."_

"_Fine, I'll just starve then." Thea shook her head._

"_Fine." AJ shrugged, unbothered by her dramatic behaviour._

"_Don't wait up for me." Thea said, putting her leather jacket on._

"_Thea, I want you home by eleven." AJ called as Thea stormed out of the kitchen and headed out of the house. _

_She headed down the street, taking her phone out and texting some of her friends. She was aware that she was hanging around people that weren't particularly good. Not good for her or society. In between breaking up and getting back together with Jackson, consuming too much alcohol and trying substances she shouldn't have been, it was beginning to slowly get out of her own control, and that was the dangerous part._

_She walked further into town before arriving at an apartment block, heading inside and walking upstairs where she knocked on a door._

_It didn't take long until someone answered, seeing the familiar face and smiling,_

"_Hey, it's Thea!" Austin exclaimed happily, "Get in here." He smiled, wrapping his arm around her and walking into the busy apartment, closing the door over with his foot, "You may as well be wearing underwear." He chuckled, checking her out._

"_Yeah, give it a few hours." Thea nodded, patting him on the chest as Austin chuckled._

"_We got drinks in the kitchen, come with me." He smiled, keeping his arm around her and walking into the kitchen._


	13. Distraction

**Distraction**

* * *

Punk had gotten home later that night after spending the majority of his day with Thea. He'd heard everything he needed to know and was extremely concerned for the safety of his daughter and her family. Even more concerned when she began telling him everything.

He walked in the door, still in a lot of pain with his ribs and shoulder, walking down to the kitchen where AJ was sitting at the table. She had pretty much sat all day waiting on him, not knowing what to do with herself, too anxious to go busy herself with something.

"Hey." Punk said as AJ looked up at him.

"Hey." AJ nodded.

Punk knew she wasn't impressed by how he had spoken to her last night. He wasn't impressed by it either. He never meant to hurt her feelings and he certainly didn't mean anything he said. The truth was, he didn't know how difficult it was to watch Thea in the situation she was in back then. He didn't know what it was like to watch her spiral out of control like that, but his wife did, and he knew he had no right to criticise her for anything. She was the best mother in the entire world.

"You ok?" Punk asked her as she just nodded.

"How is Thea? Is she ok?" AJ asked him.

"Pretending she is." Punk nodded, pulling out the kitchen chair, sitting down across from her as he watched her, "Oh, God." Punk sighed to himself, placing his hands over his face, taking a deep breath, "I swear these girls are gonna give me a heart attack." He muffled through his hands.

"Is she in trouble?" AJ asked as he rubbed his hands over his face, looking across at AJ and nodding.

"Yeah." Punk nodded as AJ looked down, taking a fearful sigh, "Yeah, I think… she has her very own Rio on her case." He nodded as AJ sighed to herself.

"Please do not say that." AJ begged, placing her hand over her mouth, looking across at Punk, "Who are these people?"

"She knows them from years ago. When she was using." Punk said, "You won't be surprised to know that it was some of Jackson's friends. He introduced her to them." He said as AJ shook her head angrily, "She'd get… whatever she was using from them."

"I should have known." AJ shook her head.

"How were you to know?" Punk shook his head, "It's not your fault." He said as AJ sighed to herself, "She told me she went to them for about a year before the main guy, Austin, got busted and put in prison. She got clean, got better and… she never saw them again until about a year ago."

"A year ago?" AJ questioned.

"She was coming home from work and he appeared in the parking lot. Told her that she owed him money for all the stuff they gave her. And she gave the money to him. All of it." Punk nodded.

"There's never really a limit with these people, is there?" AJ nodded. They knew it all too well.

"Yeah, that's what I told her." Punk said, "She thought it'd be best to just skip town and disappear… but I think she realises after seeing my face, her solution might not work." He said.

"So these guys… or… this guy, Austin… he was just her dealer?" AJ asked.

"She said she used to go to their apartments for parties and stuff. I think… I think she was friends with them." He nodded, "All sounds familiar." He looked across at AJ who shook her head.

"I should have known. Why did I not know?" AJ questioned.

"April-"

"No… no, I should have been more strict. I… I let her go out and see these people?" AJ questioned, horrified. She never really knew the extent of her daughter's activities during that awful time. She was just more concerned about getting her clean and helping her into rehabs and therapy. Asking where she was started to become irrelevant.

"You didn't know what she was doing. How were you supposed to?" Punk asked.

"I'm her mother. I should have known." AJ said, "I let her go see these people, and get into the mess she was in-"

"No you didn't. She walked out that door every night. You were doing the right thing by putting your trust in her. She was eighteen. It's not like she was a kid." Punk said as AJ shook her head to herself, "April, look at me." He said as she turned to him, "Do not blame yourself. This isn't your fault. It's not Thea's either." He said, "It's people we know all too well, taking advantage of good people who made one mistake in their life. We've been there and we got out of it. We'll help Thea out of it too." He promised.

"Who are these people?" AJ asked angrily.

"They run trade in the southside." Punk said, "I'm gonna go to Dean's later and talk to him about it and then… drop by and see Vincent. He's go the scoop on everything so I can see what he knows about these guys." He nodded.

"And in the meantime?" AJ questioned, "Are we in danger? Is Thea in danger? The kids?"

"I told her to stay low to the ground for now. She hasn't even told Dominic." Punk said.

"Seriously?" AJ shook her head.

"She's worried he'll flip and then she was worried he would tell me." Punk said, "I think she was gonna tell him once I left. I think she gets that there's no running from shit like this." He said.

"Yeah… we know that." AJ nodded to him, "What do we even do here? You realise Cassie is gonna wanna do something about this-"

"Well she can't. Not right now anyway." Punk said, "And I don't want Jude finding out about this. You know how bad she worries. She doesn't need the stress right now." He shook his head stressfully.

"Phil, you know they're gonna all find out anyway. They're sisters. They talk." AJ said.

"Yeah well Thea hasn't been doing any talking about this for a year." Punk said.

"Why didn't she just tell us?" AJ sighed to herself.

"She thought it would go away." Punk said, "I get the impression there's more she isn't telling me. Especially about this Austin guy." He said.

"Part of me doesn't even want to know." AJ shook her head, "What do they want from her? Money?"

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "They probably thought she was an easy target. Once they got the first load from her, probably thought they could earn some more." He said.

"Yeah well that's what scum like that do." AJ shook her head as Punk nodded, "Cassie is right, Phil… we shouldn't handle this by ourselves. Only bad things will come of that. Think about James and Sofia. Jude and the baby. No one can be in danger right now. Or ever." She said, "This is our family. Ours. I'm not having a Jackson and Rio part two. We deal with this the right way." She looked across at him as he nodded.

"Yeah. Ok." Punk nodded to her, "Just let me suss these guys out first."

"Is Thea ok? She's not hurt, is she?" AJ asked.

"No, she's… she's ok." Punk nodded, "We'll figure this out." He said, sliding his hand across and taking hers with it, "I promise you." He said as she nodded to him with worry glistening in her eyes.

* * *

Cassie was trying to do everything and anything she could to distract herself from thinking about her older sister and what was happening, and that meant looking further into her possible grandfather, to the point where she had an address for him.

She was getting a hang of working the system at the station, and on her lunch break she left and drove to the address she'd gotten for Daniel. She wasn't sure if it was her stubbornness or the fact she wanted a distraction, but regardless, she wanted answers.

She pulled up at the address, looking at the small and broken down house, sighing to herself as she took a few minutes in the car to think about what she was doing, what she was possibly inviting into their lives. But all it would do was play on her mind for longer, so she got out of the car and walked down the path, opening up the front porch door and knocking on the main door.

She waited for an answer, eventually turning around when she heard the lock unlocking, watching an older man swing the door open as she looked across at him. He didn't look like a small, crippled old man like she thought he would. He looked pretty ok for having spent thirty years in prison.

"I don't want whatever you're selling." Daniel waved his hand, "Go, shoo." He waved at her.

"Uh… I'm… I'm not selling anything." Cassie said as Daniel noticed the cop car, looking back at her.

"I know you ain't a cop with that baby face." He chuckled to himself.

"I-I am." Cassie nodded, "Well, a rookie." She shrugged as he nodded.

"Well whatever it is… it wasn't me." Daniel assured her, "So you can go." He nodded, beginning to close the door over.

"My name is Cassie Brooks." Cassie blurted out, watching as he paused for a second, "My… My dad is Phil Brooks." She said as Daniel looked at her, "Your son." She nodded as he looked across at her, almost with confusion.

"I-I don't have a son." Daniel shook his head in denial as Cassie watched him.

"Yeah, you do. You have two, actually. Phil and Dean." Cassie nodded, "And you have five granddaughters." She smiled a little, "You even have great grandchildren." She smiled as Daniel looked at her, shaking his head.

"N-No… No I don't… I don't have any children." Daniel shook his head.

"You do." Cassie shook her head, confused as to why he didn't even want to acknowledge it, "You… You left when they were babies." She said.

"You need to go away. Get off my porch." Daniel shook his head.

"I just want to talk to you." Cassie said, "Do you… live with anyone?" Cassie wondered.

"No, I live on my own." Daniel said, "How did you find me?" He asked defensively.

"Well… I'm a cop." Cassie shrugged.

"What do you want? Are you after something?" Daniel wondered, not buying her reasons just yet.

"No, I just… I wanted to meet my grandfather." Cassie shook her head, "And I thought maybe… you'd be interested in finding out about your family." She said.

"You thought I'd want to know the sons I walked out on? After all this time?" Daniel looked at her as Cassie stared back at him, "I've lived my life with no children up until now. I'm afraid it's gonna stay like that-"

"It's not too late." Cassie said.

"Actually, I think it is." Daniel nodded, "I don't want you coming back here." He made clear, "Please leave me alone." He said as Cassie looked across at him. She was half expecting him to perhaps be a drunk or a crazy person, but he actually seemed like he had his wits about him. And he seemed very lonely.

"I'm on my lunch break… we could have coffee-" She couldn't really say much more as she watched him shut the door on her, locking it over as she sighed to herself, shoulders deflating as she folded her arms.

She shook her head and walked away, not really sure what to do next, perhaps accepting defeat as she got back into the car. Meanwhile Daniel stood at the corner of the window watching curiously with shock and awe.


	14. Outlook

**Outlook**

* * *

"What's wrong with you?" Theo asked, walking into the station where he saw Cassie sitting at his desk, her head leaning on top of it as she made unpleasant sighing noises of distress, "Tough day doing all that paper work, huh?" He chuckled.

"Just shut up!" Cassie lifted her head from the desk as some people in the station looked over, "Just… please, shut up." She sighed to herself, running her hands over her face as Theo watched her.

"More than just paper work, huh?" Theo figured, "Didn't you finish like two hours ago?" He asked her.

"Yeah. I did." Cassie said, "I don't even wanna go home." She shook her head.

"Why?" Theo asked, grabbing his things from the desk.

"Because that is where things always go wrong." Cassie nodded.

"Home? Really?" Theo asked.

"Yeah. Really." Cassie nodded, playing with the stapler as Theo watched her, "Also probably did something I shouldn't have done today." She nodded to herself.

"You wanna talk about it?" Theo asked her, putting his jacket on.

"Not particularly." Cassie shook her head.

"Do you want to go for a drink and not talk about it?" Theo asked her as Cassie looked up.

* * *

"You drink beer?" Theo turned to Cassie, sitting at the bar with her.

"Yes, why? Problem?" Cassie asked, "Would you rather I drink a glass of wine?" She asked him as Theo chuckled to himself a little, watching as she gulped down almost half the bottle of beer already.

"I didn't take you for a drinker." Theo said.

"I'm not." Cassie shook her head, sitting the beer down, "Saw what it did to my sister. Terrifies me." She said as Theo nodded to himself.

"She's got problems?" Theo asked her. He didn't really know much about her, even though he'd been working with her for almost a year.

"Not anymore. She's been clean for a long time." Cassie nodded, "But she… she got herself in such a mess." She shook her head, "Drugs, alcohol, guys…" She shook her head.

"Which sister are we talking about here?" Theo said.

"My big big sister." Cassie nodded.

"You're the youngest, right?" Theo nodded.

"Yeah." Cassie said, "Me, Jude then Thea." She said as Theo nodded.

"You worry about them?" Theo asked as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah well they've both been through a lot." Cassie nodded, "Feel like maybe I dodged a bullet."

"Being kidnapped and held at gunpoint doesn't seem like dodging a bullet to me." Theo said as Cassie turned to him, "Well… I guess technically that is dodging a bullet." He nodded as Cassie smiled, pointing her beer to him before taking another sip, "So what's the regret? What'd you do today that's making you so miserable?"

"Do you ever just plan something out in your head? You see it all playing out? Envision the what if and the what could be?" Cassie asked him.

"Sure." Theo understood.

"Well I did all of that and I guess I got upset when it didn't turn out how I thought it would." Cassie said.

"You gotta learn to keep your expectations low." Theo nodded.

"Yeah, maybe." Cassie said, "Or just learn to leave things alone." She nodded.

"Yeah that might work too." Theo nodded, watching her take another sip of her beer, "You look kinda stressed."

"I do?" Cassie chuckled a little.

"Yeah, a little." Theo nodded.

"You'd think I'd be used it by now with my family." Cassie nodded. She really felt like she'd hit a wall. Hearing about the dangers her sister was in. Getting the door slammed in her face by her grandfather. Trying to do the right thing all the time. It was exhausting her.

"Did your sister really kill someone?" Theo asked as Cassie turned to him, "Sorry, I'm just… I'm curious." He said as Cassie took another sip of beer.

"Yeah, she did." Cassie said simply, "The guy who raped my sister." She turned to him as Theo nodded slowly, "But he was also the son of the guy who made my mom and dad's life a living hell. And he also dated my big big sister, Thea. Beat her up." She said as Theo tried to keep up, "It's like a damn horror movie." She shook her head, finishing her bottle of beer and ordering another one.

"I guess you didn't really have a normal childhood." Theo said.

"I did, actually." Cassie said, "Just with the addition of some crime and violence."

"I find it kinda ironic that you wanted to be a cop." He admitted.

"I think I just wanted to be on the other side." She shook her head, "I saw the way cops looked at my parents. My mom told me about all the slurs that people would yell at her growing up. Cops especially. Telling her to go back to where she came from. She was born here." Cassie shook her head, "I want to change that."

"You wanna be a good cop?" Theo nodded.

"Yeah." Cassie said, "I do." She said as Theo smiled, "Why are you being nice to me?" She wondered. She didn't want to question it early because she really needed the company and didn't want to lose the opportunity to have a drink.

"What? I'm always nice to you." Theo said.

"Oh, please." Cassie shook her head as Theo chuckled, starting his second beer.

"Well I guess I just know you can take it." Theo nodded, "You're fun to tease. It really shows that you're the littlest sibling." He said as Cassie nodded.

"My sisters never really teased me, actually. There's such big age gaps between us." Cassie said, "I mean Thea has two kids, Jude has a baby on the way… they're doing tons of old stuff now." She shook her head Theo chuckled.

"You're not into any of that?" Theo asked her.

"Not really. I don't think about it honestly." Cassie said, "And I don't get relationships."

"You don't get them?" Theo chuckled.

"Don't see the point." Cassie shrugged.

"Why?" Theo asked.

"Cause God knows how it might end. I'm not signing up for anything that I don't know the ending to." Cassie shook her head as Theo smiled.

"Sounds to me like you're scared." Theo said.

"No, I'm just smart and everyone else is stupid." Cassie shook her head, "My mom broke her heart for eight years because my dad went to prison. She was a mess. I mean I don't remember it, but from what my sisters tell me… she was miserable and… so lost without him." She said, "I swear I'm never gonna let myself depend on someone like that. No way." She shook her head.

"I think that just means that your parents really love each other." Theo assumed, "Which means you're saying you don't believe in love." He nodded.

"Maybe I don't." Cassie shrugged, consuming most of her second beer.

"You're bullshit, Brooks." Theo chuckled to himself.

"Why?" Cassie laughed, "Ok, look around." She said as Theo looked around, "I guarantee all the couples in this room, maybe only one or two of them will last." She nodded, "So what's the point? What are we all wasting our time for?" She questioned.

"I gotta say, you got a unique outlook on things, I'll give you that." Theo nodded, "So what was Cassie like as a kid then? Did she have a miserable outlook on things back then too?" He teased.

"No." Cassie said, "She played soccer. Striker, thank you very much." She added, "She was shy, I guess. Was desperate to grow up."

"Yeah, why is that?" Theo asked, "When you're a kid you wanna grow up so bad and then when you've grown up it's like… I didn't ask for this." He said as Cassie chuckled.

"Yeah right." Cassie agreed, "I had a good childhood. My parents did their best, that's always enough." She nodded as he smiled, "What about you?"

"I played football." Theo nodded.

"Yeah, thought so." Cassie said.

"Hey, what does that mean?" Theo chuckled.

"You just… look like the type to play football in high school." She shrugged.

"I think that's called being judgemental." Theo said.

"Really? Like when you just judged me for having a beer?" Cassie asked as he smiled a little, going quiet, "Yeah, that's what I thought." She smiled as he nodded, "Siblings?" She asked.

"Little brother." Theo nodded, "He's a good kid. At college." He said.

"Parents?" She asked.

"Happily married." Theo nodded as Cassie smiled, "To other people." He added.

"Oh." Cassie realised.

"No, it's better that way. They weren't happy together." Theo said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah sometimes it's more damaging for parents to stay together than split up." Cassie said as Theo nodded.

"Yeah, I agree." He nodded, finishing his beer off, "What did your dad actually go to prison for?" He asked as Cassie turned to him.

"Don't like you haven't looked up my family's history." She scoffed.

"I actually haven't." Theo said honestly, "I know others have in the station but I never." He said.

"Supplying and distributing class A drugs." Cassie nodded.

"How'd he end up doing that?" Theo asked.

"I don't really know." Cassie admitted, "Shitty childhood, maybe? He and my mom didn't really have much growing up. I guess they did certain things just to get by. I guess his mistakes caught up to him. It seems to be a pattern that happens to everyone in my family." She nodded.

"Something going on right now? With your family?" Theo asked.

"There's always something going on with my family." Cassie nodded.

"Something I should know?" Theo wondered.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." Cassie shook her head.

"Sounds to me like you're fed up of it." Theo said.

"I love my family." Cassie nodded, "I love my mom and dad. I love my sisters. My niece and nephew. My uncle. Cousins. My aunt. My sister's boyfriend and my other sister's husband-"

"Yeah, that's a lot." Theo nodded.

"But I just feel like I'm constantly waiting for someone to just… drop dead." Cassie said, "That's not normal, is it?"

"I wouldn't say so." Theo shook his head.

"I just always have this dreaded feeling that something is about to go wrong." She sighed to herself.

"Isn't that just because so much stuff has gone wrong. I mean it's true what they say, the things we're most afraid of are things we've already been through." Theo nodded, "The world hasn't been kind to your family. I'd say it's pretty normal that you feel that way."

"What's normal?" Cassie laughed a little.

"Boring." Theo nodded as she turned to him, "Normal is boring." He said, clinking his beer bottle against hers as she smiled a little.

* * *

"We probably shouldn't do this." Cassie said, stumbling into Theo's apartment later that night, both drunk but aware of what was going on, kissing their way through the apartment and pulling at each other's clothes.

"Yeah we shouldn't." Theo agreed, taking his shirt off as she backed him against the wall, kissing him roughly as he picked her up, walking towards the bedroom, putting her back down as she took her t-shirt off.

"I don't want anything from this." Cassie made clear. She didn't. She didn't want a relationship.

"I know. I heard you earlier." Theo understood, "It's just sex." He nodded as she undone her pants, pushing them down and kicking them away.

"Yeah." Cassie agreed breathlessly, undoing his pants as he stepped out of them, feeling her push him down onto the bed.

"It won't be awkward at work." Theo shook his head.

"No, of course not." Cassie said, climbing on top of him, kissing him as he rolled them over, lips staying attached.

"I don't want a relationship." Theo made clear.

"Good cause you're not getting one." Cassie nodded, pulling his face back down, reattaching her lips back against his, rolling back over where she was on top, "Don't roll me back over." She warned as she stayed on top.

"Yes ma'am." Theo chuckled, reaching up and unclasping her bra as she smiled against the kiss. Neither of them wanted the drama or excess relationship commitment. The fact they were both on the same wave length really made this more enjoyable.


	15. Second Thought

**Second Thought**

* * *

"Morning." Theo woke up sleepily, watching as Cassie sat on the edge of the bed putting her underwear on.

"Hey." Cassie said briefly, not bothering to turn around.

"I figured you'd actually be gone by the time I woke up." Theo admitted.

"Well I'm going as quick as I can." She said, standing up from the bed and walking around the room for the rest of her clothes as he watched her.

"You don't have to go. I mean… you can stay for breakfast." He said.

"I don't do breakfast." Cassie assured him.

"It's not a marriage proposal. It's just… a bagel or some shit." He chuckled, yawning and stretching in bed as Cassie shook her head.

"I don't like bagels." Cassie said as he nodded to himself.

"Well I had fun last night." He nodded, putting his hands behind his head, "I'm paying the price this morning with this headache, though." He groaned a light, feeling the effects of all those beers hitting him.

"Yeah I had fun too." Cassie said, putting her t-shirt on, "But… I'm not looking for-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it." Theo nodded, "I'm not either. Sometimes two people just gotta bone." He said.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone at work." Cassie said.

"Is that the type of guy you think I am?" He asked, "I don't fuck and tell, don't worry."

"Great." Cassie nodded awkwardly, putting her pants on as Theo watched her.

"I'm open for business." Theo said.

"What?" She turned to him.

"Well I hear you, you don't like the commitment thing, I'm not a huge fan of it either… especially with our jobs." He said, "So how about we just… have sex?" He shrugged as Cassie laughed.

"In your dreams, buddy." Cassie chuckled, amused by his offer, "I'll see you tomorrow." She shook her head, walking out of the bedroom and leaving the apartment as Theo chuckled to himself, rolling back over in bed and falling asleep.

* * *

"Cassie?" AJ called as she heard the front door opening.

"Yeah?" Cassie called back.

"Where the hell have you been?" AJ worried, coming out of the kitchen, "Oh my God." She sighed with relief, rushing over to Cassie and giving her a tight hug.

"I was just at a friend's." Cassie said, "What's with the worry?" She shook her head.

"What's with the worry?" AJ questioned, shoving Cassie a little, "You know what's going on right now. Text or call at least. Your dad was about to go out looking for you through the night-"

"God, I'm twenty one." Cassie rolled her eyes, walking through to the kitchen.

"Yeah and there's a group of guys out there who could use you as bait." AJ reminded her.

"Yeah, I'm always the bait, aren't I?" Cassie shook her head, "Where is dad?"

"He's gone to talk to Dean and Vincent about these guys." AJ said, "Which friend did you stay with?" She asked curiously.

"None of your business." Cassie said, "Do we have bagels?" She wondered, searching around the kitchen as AJ watched her.

"Well can you please just text or call and let me know you're good if you're staying with someone else or you're staying late at work. Just for now until we figure this out." AJ said.

"Nothing will get figured out if dad insists on handling it himself. Someone will end up dead." Cassie shook her head, putting two bagels in the toaster.

"He's not going to handle it himself. He just wants to know where these guys are, where abouts they run." AJ said, "Then… it's up to the police." AJ nodded as Cassie shook her head.

"He's just saying that to make you happy. He'll let the cops know and then whilst we're all distracted he'll go handle it himself. You've been with the guy since you were sixteen. You know what he's like." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I do. I know all he wants to do is protect you girls." AJ nodded.

"Jude should know what's going on. She should be aware." Cassie said.

"I know, we were talking last night and we said the same thing. Once your dad gets back we're gonna go see Jude anyway. We'll fill her in." She nodded.

"And Thea? What's going on with her?" Cassie asked.

"She called last night. Told your father that she had told Dominic about it and he wasn't talking to her." AJ shook her head, "Saw that one coming."

"And what is she expecting to happen? She's all moved out, far away from the mess she's left us with." Cassie said.

"Cassie, it's not like that." AJ said.

"It is. It's exactly like that. Dad's walking around with broken ribs trying to sort this mess out and she's in frickin Milwaukee, ignoring it all-"

"No she isn't. She's a mess, Cassie. She's worried out of her mind. With two kids. I know how it feels." AJ said, "She thought she was doing the right thing by getting away-"

"Yeah well maybe it's her own fault for being such an idiot when she was young." Cassie shook her head.

"Cassie, what the hell is wrong with you?" AJ asked angrily.

"I'm tired of being dragged into other people's mess in this family." Cassie shook her head, grabbing her bagels and leaving the kitchen as AJ sighed to herself, folding her arms as she looked on at the pictures on their fridge, staring at the one of her and Punk when they were sixteen, sitting down at the kitchen table with a helpless sigh.

* * *

"Are you… gonna talk to me at some point?" Thea asked, walking into the kitchen where Dominic was sitting.

"Not right now." Dominic shook his head bluntly as Thea nodded.

"Well the kids are in bed." She said, "Sofia actually went down first this time-"

"Really not talking to you." Dominic looked up at her as she looked across at him.

"Ok, well that's just dumb. You're gonna have to talk to me at some point." Thea said, "This isn't helping the situation." She shook her head.

She'd sat him down the previous night and told him what was really going on. He was upset and angry that she hadn't told him, and she had pretty much gotten the silent treatment all day.

"What do you want me to say, T?" Dominic shook his head, "It's gonna be alright?" He asked.

"No, I just want to know you don't hate me for this." Thea said, "I know it's my fault." She nodded, "But I thought… I thought us moving away was the best thing for us. For the kids." She said, "I didn't want any of us in danger."

"Yeah and what about your dad? It looks like we've just ran away and dumped everything on your family-"

"No it doesn't. My family don't think that." Thea said, "I made a mistake when I was younger and it's… it's coming back to haunt me." She said, "And I don't know what else I'm supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to tell your husband." Dominic said with frustration, "You're supposed to tell me so we can figure something out together-"

"I didn't want to worry you." Thea said.

"Well consider me worried, Thea." Dominic said, "I mean some low-life, scum drug ring are after you because what? You owe them some money?" He questioned.

"I gave them all the money I owed." Thea made clear, "Now they're just harassing me." She said, sitting down at the table across from him, "I was an idiot when I was young. I was mad at everyone and everything and I took it out on myself. I didn't…" She sighed to herself, "I didn't respect myself."

"The hell does that even mean?" Dominic shook his head.

"I treated these people like they were my friends." Thea said, "I would show up at parties and… and just take whatever they gave me. Some things I remember, some things I don't." She said, "I just thought it was me being a dumb kid. I didn't think it would come back to haunt me."

"And what do we do now that it has?" Dominic asked her, "Depend on your dad to help us? Put that stress back into his life?"

"No, I didn't… I didn't ask for my dad to come here and help." Thea made clear, "This isn't my fault. I didn't… I've not done anything wrong." She said frantically, "Have I?" She questioned as he looked across at her, sighing to himself.

"No." Dominic sighed, "No, you haven't." He said, "You're right, you made a mistake and now it's… it's spiralling out of control." He said, "But we'll fix it. We'll get rid of these people. I'm not… I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." He shook his head, "Or the kids." He said as Thea nodded, "And I know your dad will be holding the fort on his end in Chicago."

"Yeah my mom said we should just stay here. I figured maybe we should go to Chicago but… they said it's best we stay put." Thea nodded, "They'll call me with any news."

"Ok." Dominic nodded, looking across at her, noticing how pale she was with worry, how sick she looked, "Come here." He sighed as Thea looked across at him, standing up and walking over to him, sitting down on his lap and leaning into his neck, "It's not your fault."

"I feel like it is." Thea's voice broke, "I never thought they'd chase me up for money from all the way back then." She said.

"They've just made you a target." Dominic said angrily, "But they're not gonna hurt you." He said, kissing her head.

"It just reminds me of that time in my life." She said sadly, "And all the things that happened." She shook her head, her hair getting stuck to her tears as Dominic brushed them away, "I didn't think I was gonna be one of those people who gets caught with their past."

"You've not got caught. You didn't do anything wrong." He sighed, "These guys never get their way." He reminded her, "We'll sort it out." He nodded, kissing her head as she hugged him tightly, in desperate need of comfort.

* * *

"Hi, can I help you?" Theo asked the next morning, walking out into the main entrance of the police station where he saw an old man standing.

"Uh… yeah, I'm looking for Cassie Brooks." Daniel nodded, "I think she… she might work here."

"Cassie?" Theo asked as Daniel nodded, "Cassie is…" He paused as he saw Cassie struggling in the door of the station, trying to hold folders, her bag and a cup of coffee, squeezing through the door whilst dropping some papers. He couldn't help laugh, "She's struggling to get in the door." He pointed as Daniel turned around.

He watched as the twenty-one year old struggled to balance all the things in her hand, inching herself in the door carefully.

"It's ok! Everyone just stand and stare at me!" Cassie yelled to everyone, "I'm all good." She exaggerated.

Theo chuckled to himself, shaking his head and walking away whilst Cassie eventually made it in the door, walking towards the front desk.

"Uh… Cassie?" Daniel walked towards her as Cassie turned and noticed him.

"Oh." Cassie said with surprise, "Oh, hi." She smiled a little, dumping her folders and coffee on the reception desk, "W-What… what are you doing here?" She questioned.

"Brooks, punch in or you'll be marked down late!" Theo called from in the back as Cassie rolled her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Cassie asked Daniel. She was surprised to see him after he made his feelings very clear when she showed up on his doorstep.

"Well I was… I was wondering if you were interested in that coffee?" Daniel asked as Cassie looked across at him with a small smile.


	16. Conflicted

**Conflicted**

* * *

"What made you come find me?" Cassie asked, sitting down on a bench outside in the park with a coffee they'd picked up from a local shop.

"I guess curiosity got the better of me." Daniel nodded, "When I heard you say that stuff about… my sons… well it's a part of my life I've kept shut off for a very long time. Very long." He said.

"I kinda figured." Cassie nodded.

"Why did you come find me?" Daniel turned to her, "Is there something you need from me? Something you want to tell me?" He asked.

"N-No… no, I just… I… well I came across your name on some files in the station." Cassie said, "I didn't know anything about you up until then."

"So the first thing you learned about me was that I'm an ex con?" Daniel nodded to himself, "And yet… you still wanted to find me?" He wondered.

"Believe it or not… ex con doesn't mean a whole to me." Cassie said, "I guess I just saw your name and it got me thinking. My dad never talks about you. No one talks about you." She said.

"That's because no one knows me." Daniel said, "You don't know me."

"Yeah but I figured it's not too late get to know each other." Cassie said as Daniel nodded slowly, taking a sip of coffee as Cassie sat awkwardly.

"How many grandchildren do I have?" He asked.

"Five." Cassie nodded, "Five girls." She laughed a little, "I'm the youngest one."

"I can tell." Daniel nodded, "Who knows you've been seeking me out?" He wondered.

"Uh… well no one really." Cassie said as Daniel nodded, "My dad would probably flip if he knew I was meeting with you. My mom too." She said, "But I just thought… life is too short and you're my grandfather. If you're out there why… why can't I see you or talk to you?"

"You don't know me." Daniel said, "You can't be that naïve." He said.

"Excuse me?" Cassie turned to him.

"Well you're a cop for crying out loud. You shouldn't be meeting with strange men you know nothing about. What if I kidnapped you? Huh? What if I kidnapped you when you showed up at my house?" He questioned seriously as Cassie raised a brow. His tone sounded all too familiar to another man in her life.

"Wouldn't be the first time I'd been in that situation." Cassie mumbled.

"You need to be more careful." Daniel shook his head, "Are you all like that?"

"Like what?" Cassie screwed her face up.

"Naïve?" Daniel asked.

"Excuse me?" Cassie shook her head.

"Well if I had daughters they would know not to be going around talking to men they don't know-"

"And when you have sons you just abandon them?" Cassie bit back angrily as Daniel looked at her in silence, "Yeah, that shut you up." Cassie said fiercely.

"Be careful talking about something you don't know anything about." Daniel said.

"I know everything I need to. You walked out on two kids. Two boys who needed you. You have no idea what they went through as children." Cassie said.

"What are you talking about?" Daniel shook his head.

"Abuse." Cassie said, "Sam being a waste of space. They practically had to raise themselves." She said.

"Look, I… I know nothing about them. Nothing at all. Phil was just one when I left and Dean… I didn't even know that was his name." He admitted shamefully, "Not until you said it." He sighed to himself, "I left before he was even born."

"Why did you leave?" Cassie asked him.

"Look, there's no point in getting into it." Daniel shook his head as Cassie looked at him.

"I think there is a point." Cassie said, "It's not too late if you want to meet your sons-"

"Says who? You?" Daniel chuckled as Cassie grabbed the coffee from his hand and threw it behind them angrily.

"Yes me." Cassie said as Daniel watched nervously, "I want my dad to have the chance to get closure. Whether it's getting to know you or just getting answers from you. I can tell it bothers him. He's too annoying to admit it but… I know it does." She said, "And I know what it's like to gain a father later in life. It can work out." She nodded as he looked at her with wonder. He really knew absolutely nothing about his family. Nothing at all.

"What are your sister's names again? And your cousins?" Daniel asked.

"My sisters are Jude and Thea. Thea is the oldest. Jude in the middle. Then me." Cassie said, "Then there's my two cousins, Chrissy and Sarah." She nodded, "My mom is April. My aunt is Renee. My nephew is James and my niece is Sofia. I've got another niece on the way. Knowing Jude she'll call her something obscure and artsy." She shook her head.

"You have a big family." Daniel raised his eyebrows, "I doubt I'd make an impact."

"You don't know that." Cassie said.

"You and your sisters have the same mom?" Daniel asked.

"Yes." Cassie said, "Everyone always asks me that because of the age gap." She shook her head, "My mom and dad have been together since they were sixteen."

"There's no way they still like one another." Daniel chuckled to himself.

"I wouldn't say that until you meet them." Cassie nodded, "They've been through hell and back."

"Who hasn't?" Daniel grumbled.

"Are you gonna tell me why you walked away?" Cassie asked, "Cause I'll keep asking."

"Yeah you're kinda annoying." Daniel nodded to her, "I mean I… I paid for that coffee." He scoffed.

"Poor you." Cassie frowned, "Tell me." She said quickly.

"What does it even matter to you?" Daniel scoffed, "And why does there have to be a reason? How about… I was just a kid who had two kids all of a sudden, with a girlfriend who couldn't stay off drugs. I split cause it got too much. I couldn't handle it-"

"They're your sons." Cassie shook her head.

"I know that." Daniel nodded, "But… I was never a father to them. I mean I don't think you've even thought this through. I doubt they wanna see me. Not after all this time." He said.

"Well you don't know anything until you try." Cassie said.

"Well you seem to have been brought up well… must have worked out alright for your dad and uncle." Daniel nodded to himself as Cassie looked at him.

"You don't even know the half of it." Cassie said, "Believe me." She nodded as he looked across at her.

"What do you want from me?" Daniel asked.

"What makes you think I want something from you?" Cassie shook her head.

"Well it's not like you're running low on family members." Daniel said.

"I just think it's been long enough for you to be lurking in the shadows. Maybe you never had someone to give you that shove. I mean… have you been alone your entire life?"

"I've been in prison." Daniel nodded.

"You've been out for a while." Cassie said.

"Yeah well… I'm just trying to get by now." Daniel shook his head.

"Was it really a hit and run?" Cassie asked him as he turned to her.

"I should go." Daniel stood up from the bench as Cassie watched him, "I shouldn't have bothered you with this… I… I have no interest in this." He shook his head, conflicted and frustrated as she watched him. She didn't know how to read him. He seemed confused and definitely conflicted about how to feel about his sons he knew nothing about.

"Maybe my dad and uncle won't give a damn about you, but maybe they want answers, and maybe you do too." Cassie said, "Don't you want to know your family?" She shook her head as Daniel shook his head.

"N-No… no you're… you're not my family." Daniel shook his head, "You're just strangers." He backed away, walking off down the street as Cassie watched him with a sigh. She knew a lonely person when she saw one. It was like he had no experience with human interaction. She figured it made sense since he spent most of his life in prison. She just wanted her dad and uncle to have the option of answers. She didn't want it to be something looming over them in the back of their mind. She hoped she wasn't opening up doors that should have been left closed.

* * *

"This is the weirdest feeling." Jude shook her head, sitting up in bed, hands on her bump as she felt the baby kicking, "I can't tell if I like it or not." She said, confused as Sean chuckled a little.

"I don't think she'll give you a choice." Sean chuckled, leaning over and placing his hand over her bump, "Man, she's really kicking." He raised his eyebrows.

"She's probably mad that her aunt is in such a mess." Jude sighed to herself.

"Or she's kicking because she senses her mom is stressed." Sean said, unhappily as Jude looked over at him.

"I'm… I'm not stressed. I'm ok." Jude nodded to him, "Just worried about Thea. What she's gotten herself into." She shook her head.

Her parents had dropped by earlier on and filled them both in on what was going on with Thea and why she had really moved to Milwaukee. Jude was shocked, she was still was, but then the crippling worry settled in for her sister's safety. For her entire family's safety.

"Thea needs to go to the police." Sean nodded, stripping down to his boxers, "No bullshit, no waiting around on someone getting hurt. Let the cops handle it. Running away certainly isn't going to help either."

"She's obviously scared." Jude sighed to herself, "I wanna see her." She said sadly as Sean nodded.

"It's probably best she stays in Milwaukee right now." Sean nodded, getting in bed beside her, "I had no idea she was so… troubled as a kid." He admitted, "Yeah I knew about the drug and drink problems but… I didn't think it was bad like this."

"Yeah well… it was." Jude nodded, "And it wasn't her fault. It was a combination of things."

"Daddy issues?" Sean turned to her as Jude turned to him with an unimpressed look on her face.

"Please don't talk about my sister like that." Jude shook her head unhappily.

"Well I kinda think it's a bit shit that she's just left town and expected all of this to disappear. She should know better than anyone that if dealers, gangs can't find their target, they start tracking down their family members. Your dad isn't a spring chicken anymore. Poor guy looks like he's been in a car crash. No one needs this shit." Sean shook his head, "Certainly not you."

"Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm a timebomb waiting to go off." Jude shook her head, "And I'm very sure that Thea doesn't want any of us in danger. She'll be hating herself right now for this." She said, "She hasn't even done anything wrong. She made a few mistakes a kid and that was it-"

"Big mistakes like that can follow you." Sean nodded.

"It's not her fault. Take your cop hat off for a second." Jude shook her head angrily as he turned to her, "This is my sister. And she's in trouble." She shook her head with worry as Sean watched her, "I don't care if it's the cops or my dad, we're getting rid of these idiots-"

"We? You and your pregnant belly will be staying out of all of this." Sean nodded to her as Jude rolled her eyes, "Seriously. I don't want you in any danger." He said as she turned to him.

"I wouldn't put her in danger." Jude promised as she caressed her bump. She wouldn't dream of it.

"You think Cassie is still looking into your grandfather?" Sean asked.

"Doubt it after this bombshell was dropped." Jude said, "More important things to worry about than a guy we don't know anything about."

"Yeah, I agree." Sean said, "Why was she so interested in finding him anyway?"

"I don't know." Jude shrugged, "She's always asked my dad about him. I think she wants my dad and uncle to know it's not too late, and that if they want answers they could go out and get them… I just don't think my dad is interested."

"I mean… he probably is deep down." Sean assumed, "Nothing that keeps him up at night, though."

"Yeah, we're the ones who keep him up at night." Jude nodded.

"I can't believe he's already found all the guys names and addresses, and where they work. In another life he could have been a good cop." Sean nodded.

"Yeah where do you think Cass gets it from?" Jude nodded.

"She is good." Sean admitted.

"Damn she's kicking me hard." Jude laughed a little, rubbing her bump as Sean smiled, "I'm scared in case she senses something is wrong. Tell her it's all gonna be ok." She nodded to him as he smiled.

"Ok." Sean nodded, leaning down to her bump, "Hey, little one." He knocked the bump lightly as Jude smiled. This was the light in her dark tunnel right now, "Don't you worry yourself in there. We got things under control. It's all good." He spoke to her bump as Jude chuckled.

"Miraculously… she's stopped kicking." Jude smiled, amused, "Oh… wait… no, she's back at it."

"Maybe it's leg day in there or something. Just leave the girl be." Sean nodded as Jude chuckled. She was glad she had this positive thing in her life right now to keep her going, to see her through this worry over her sister and her past coming back to get her.


	17. Scared

**Scared**

* * *

"I'm sorry, she's not normally like this." Thea sighed to herself, looking down at Sofia who was hugging her leg, "Baby, mommy needs to go to work."

"No." Sofia shook her head, squeezing Thea's leg tighter whilst keeping her eyes on the lady in front of her. Her new babysitter. Thea and Dominic had to sign Sofia into a playgroup nearby as they had lost the benefit of Punk and AJ babysitting for them after moving. Sofia wasn't a fan of it and refused to part ways with her mother.

"Sofia, my name is Gillian." Gillian said, crouching down as Sofia watched her, unimpressed, "We can have lots of fun. There's other boys and girls here too. You can play with them. We're gonna do some painting today."

"Oh, that sounds fun." Thea encouraged, looking down at Sofia.

"No, I'm staying with my mommy." Sofia demanded, holding onto Thea's leg.

"Babe, you can't stay with me." Thea sighed, crouching down, unhooking Sofia's arms from around her leg as she panicked and instead grabbed onto her arm, "Mommy has to go to work. This is where big girls and boys go. Kinda like James." She nodded, trying to encourage the idea.

"I want Papa Punk… and A." Sofia frowned. They were the only babysitters she trusted.

"I know but they're not here. You can see them soon." Thea nodded.

"I don't wanna go." Sofia cried, rubbing her eyes as she let out a stressed sigh, "Please don't go." She cried, holding onto Thea's hands as Thea sighed.

She did have terrible separation anxiety when it came to people she wasn't familiar with. There was even one time that Sean had taken her home which she wasn't pleased about. She was very set in her routine and Thea felt guilty for having to change it.

"I know you don't, baby but you're gonna have a ton of fun. You love paintings." Thea nodded, "Why don't you make me a nice picture."

"No." Sofia cried, tears mixing with saliva which was getting stuck in her hair as Thea frowned.

"Mommy has to go, baby. Please don't cry." Thea sighed, wiping Sofia's tears and face, fixing her hair back behind her plaid hairband.

"No, I'm not going." Sofia cried, hugging into Thea, not letting go of her as Thea sighed to herself.

"What about if mommy comes in with you and helps you take off your shoes and jacket? And you get to meet all the other boys and girls?" Thea wondered.

"No, I'm not going in." Sofia made clear through her tears as Thea sighed to herself, looking up at Gillian.

"Don't stress, we see this quite a lot." Gillian assured her, "If you just go, I'll take her in-"

"I can't leave her like this. She'll just start screaming." Thea assured her, "I'm so sorry, I'm gonna have to drop her off with my husband at his work." She stood up straight, "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be silly." Gillian shook her head.

"Ok, come on, Sofia. I'll have to drop you off with daddy." Thea sighed. It wasn't ideal, but she couldn't take her to the hospital with her, so it had to be Dominic.

"Ok." Sofia said, brightening up as she realised she'd be in the safety of her father and not a stranger, running back to the car. She was very weary of her safety at all times. At times Thea was glad of that, but times like this she wasn't. It made the big stresses in her life expand and build up.

* * *

"I thought you weren't taking me up on my offer." Theo smiled, lying in bed naked as Cassie sat on the edge of the bed, putting her t-shirt on.

"Yeah well… changed my mid." Cassie said after spending another night with Theo, "Still just sex, though."

"Yeah, I know that." Theo smirked, "Works for me."

"Works for me too." Cassie nodded, standing up and putting her pants on.

"Just… answer me one thing." Theo nodded as Cassie looked over at him, "You ever been in a relationship before?"

"No." Cassie said, "And I don't want to be." Cassie nodded, "This works for me just fine."

"I doubt many girls are like you." Theo chuckled, "Girls always want… relationships and cuddles and where is this going and what are we to each other bla bla bla…" Theo groaned as Cassie chuckled.

"What do you know about what girls really want?" Cassie chuckled, "How come guys can just go sleep with whoever they want but when girls do it it's… uncommon. Abnormal."

"It's not I just don't come across many girls who are just interested in the sex part." Theo shrugged.

"Well maybe you should look around you. It's the twenty first century." Cassie said, "Newsflash, women like to have sex too." She nodded.

"Yeah, I could see that… and hear it." Theo smirked as Cassie rolled her eyes, "So what's the deal? You get stressed, you come by here, we fuck." He nodded, "Hope it means we can still be friends." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Were we friends before?" Cassie wondered.

"Sure." Theo shrugged.

"How do you know I'm stressed?" Cassie folded her arms.

"You just seem tense." He said, "I mean just cause we're fucking doesn't mean you can't talk to me. I am a terrific listener." He nodded.

"Oh, really? So even though I tell you I drink decaf, I somehow always end up with regular?" She folded her arms.

"Well that's just because anyone who drinks decaf should be shot down and locked up immediately." Theo shrugged as Cassie nodded to herself.

"Right." Cassie said, "I just got some family stuff going on, that's all." She said.

"You can talk to me about it." Theo nodded.

"I'd really rather not. Let's just keep this simple." Cassie shrugged. She figured if she could find a small part of her day to escape from absolutely everything, without having the complications of a relationship, she may as well take it whilst it was there. She trusted Theo, not that she would dare tell him.

"Ok." Theo shrugged, "So… just to clarify… we are friend fucking?"

"Call it whatever you want." Cassie nodded, grabbing her jacket and putting it on, "Just don't tell anyone."

"Why? I thought it was the twenty-first century?" Theo questioned with folded arms.

"Shut up. I prefer you when you don't talk." Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, likewise." Theo fake smiled, "Don't be late tomorrow. I'm sick of reporting you-"

"Shut up!" Cassie called as she left the room and headed out of the apartment whilst Theo smiled.

* * *

"What are you doing?" AJ asked, lying in bed that night reading her book, tilting her glasses down a little as she watched him shaking pills out of a tub.

"Oh, just turning into my mother." Punk nodded, swallowing the pills over with some water as AJ sighed, sitting her book down.

"Phil, you must really be in pain for you to be taking pills." AJ sighed worriedly.

"Yeah, I am really in pain." Punk agreed, sitting the tub down.

"You should go see a doctor-"

"They won't do anything. It's ribs. They heal with time." Punk said, "I've had my ribs broken before, it's fine." He shook his head as AJ sighed, "What you reading?" He nodded.

"Jane Austen." AJ nodded, "Not getting very far with it, though." She sighed, "Can't concentrate."

"What's with the weird literary books? You used to be a crime fan." Punk noted, sitting down on the bed beside her, taking the book from her and looking at it.

"Well I was going to tell you that… well I was gonna start taking classes." AJ said.

"Classes for what?" Punk asked, holding his ribs painfully as he turned to her.

"School classes." AJ nodded as he looked at her.

"You… You passed all your school exams." Punk shook his head with confusion.

"Yeah but just the ones I needed to. And I rushed it all so much just to get into college." AJ said, "I sit in work at lunch with colleagues and they… they talk about their high school memories and… what they read in English and silly things they did with boys-"

"Ok, are you telling me your taking classes or… doing things with other men?" Punk teased as she pinched his arm, smiling.

"I'm just saying that… I feel like I missed out. Ok?" AJ shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed, "I mean they sit and talk about all that stuff and I… I have nothing to say."

"Sure you do. Remember when you smashed that girl's head off the mirror in the girls toilets?" Punk nodded, "Because she asked me out."

"That bitch knew we were dating." AJ shook her head angrily as Punk smiled, "But yes… clearly, you see my point." She said.

"I didn't know you felt like this." Punk admitted truthfully, "I mean you… you're so successful. Boss lady." He smiled.

"I know and I'm grateful. I have an amazing job that I love but it's… it's not about the success." She shrugged, "I was actually… I was gonna…" She played with the spine of her book as Punk watched.

"Have I to guess the end of that sentence?" He smiled.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to… take the classes with me." She shrugged, "And then this stuff with Thea happened and it became less important. It began to feel like my actual high school experience again so… makes sense I guess." She nodded.

"You wanted me to do the classes with you?" Punk smiled a little as she shrugged.

"If you wanted to." AJ shrugged modestly, "It's kinda on hold for now, though." She said, "I know it's… it's embarrassing and you're obviously not interested but-" She paused as he took the book from her.

"Who is this Jane Austen?" Punk asked her, "She famous? Tell me about her." He nodded, flicking through the pages as AJ smiled.

"Phil, we have… way more important things to think about right now." AJ nodded, "It's ok." She shrugged, taking the book from him and nodding as he watched her.

For the first time, he saw his wife attempting to do something for herself. Something she wished to do and take part in. He didn't by any means think his children had weighed her down, but for the longest time, especially when he was gone, he knew she hadn't really lived for herself, and he hated that the first time she'd found something she wanted to do, it had to be put on the back burner again.

"Ok, so… maybe we do." Punk nodded, "I'm not long off the phone to Thea. She sounds terrible." He nodded truthfully, "Stressed out her mind." He said as AJ nodded, "But we're gonna help her. I'm… I'm gonna go to the cops, tell them everything about this circle." He said, "And then I'll leave it up to them." He said as AJ nodded.

"You're in no condition to help anyway." She scoffed.

"When they get these scumbags… we do these classes." He nodded to her.

"Phil, you don't have to just because-"

"I want to." Punk nodded, "Does it mean I gotta take the STDs?" He asked her as she chuckled, shoving his face away as he laughed.

"SAT's, idiot." AJ shook her head as he smiled, "And you need to show up with a bookbag." She nodded as he looked at her with worry.

"Seriously?" He asked.

"No, not seriously." AJ chuckled, leaning into his arm for comfort as he smiled. Her smile slowly faded as she brought herself back into reality, "I'm worried about her." She gulped.

"Thea?" Punk asked.

"Yeah." AJ whispered, "She thinks it's all her fault."

"We're there for her-"

"I don't feel like we are. I want to see her." AJ sighed.

"I don't wanna give these people any way to find out where she is." Punk said, "I'm gonna go to the cops tomorrow. They like me a little better ever since Cass started working there, and they love busting drug rings, trust me." He nodded, "It'll blow over." He nodded.

"I hope so." AJ hugged into him tightly.

* * *

"T, I can't have Sofia at work with me." Dominic shook his head, walking into their bedroom, "I gotta do a job and then I gotta keep my eyes on her and then she's in my toolbox and-"

"I had no choice, she wouldn't go to the playgroup. She just cried and held onto my leg. I couldn't leave her." Thea shook her head, folding up laundry on their bed.

"Well she's gotta learn. What happens when she's going to school? She gonna do the same thing?" Dominic asked.

"She's three years old. She's still a baby." Thea said, "And we've moved her away from everything she knows and loves. James hates school now. He has no friends-"

"It's been a couple of days, Thea." Dominic sighed, "James is doing fine. I spoke to his teacher today."

"The cute blonde?" Thea looked at him as he laughed a little. He realised 'back against the wall' Thea was coming out.

"I know you're stressed but don't be stupid." Dominic nodded.

"I bet when you see girls like that you realise you picked the wrong one." Thea nodded as Dominic looked across at her, "Bet you wish you had a simple wife with the white picket fence, who takes the kids to after school clubs and joins the PTA group-"

"Boy do you know what guys want." Dominic shook his head with confusion, "Don't be ridiculous."

"Well it's true." Thea shrugged, "Look what I've gotten us into-"

"Thea, you've not gotten us into anything. You've not done anything wrong." Dominic reminded her. He believed she was forgetting that, "You made some mistakes as a kid. We all do. Yours just… were with the wrong people. And now they see you've moved on and you've got a good life… that's an easy target for them." Dominic said, "Nothing about this is your fault."

"It feels like it." Thea nodded, "And I thought if I… if I moved out here it'd all go away but instead it's… it's now becoming everyone else's problem." She said, abandoning the laundry, "And that is the last thing I wanted. All I've ever done is drag my family down with me-"

"Thea-"

"No, I have. I did it to my mom when I was a kid. I was horrible to my sisters-"

"Your sisters love you." Dominic shook his head, "You were a kid. A kid who… saw her dad get arrested in the kitchen and taken away for eight years." He said, "So you made a few mistakes. Sometimes they come back to haunt you, I'm pretty sure if anyone will understand that it's your mom and dad." He said.

"It's all my fault." Thea shook her head, tears in her eyes as Dominic sighed. She wasn't a crier, which told him she was really upset, and he didn't blame her.

"Hey, don't do that." Dominic sighed, walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her, "This is not your fault. We're gonna fix this. Those guys will go to prison. They're taking nothing and no one from us." He assured her as she hugged him tightly.

"I'm just scared." Thea sobbed as Dominic nodded, kissing her head.

"I know." Dominic said, "But we're gonna be ok." He assured her, "It's all gonna be ok."


	18. Bad Kid

**Bad Kid**

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Cassie asked, walking out to the front desk in the station where she noticed her father.

"I would like to report a crime." Punk nodded as Cassie folded her arms.

"It's a crime you leave the house looking like that." Cassie nodded as Punk folded his arms unhappily.

"What is wrong with me?" Punk asked, looking himself up and down.

"Your tooth is still missing, dad." Cassie hummed, walking over to the front desk as Punk scoffed.

"Ok, I'm seriously here to talk to someone about what's going on with your sister." Punk followed her over to the desk.

"You are?" Cassie asked, surprised. She heard her mother claim he was going to let the police do their job, but she didn't actually believe that.

"Yeah well… last time I got help from the cops they… they actually did help me." Punk nodded, "I was actually wondering if Karen is around? I like her, she's helpful." He nodded.

"She's not with this precinct anymore." Cassie shook her head, watching as Theo came into the station with two coffees.

"Here's decaf for the weird kid." Theo nodded, walking over to the desk and sitting Cassie's coffee down for her as Punk turned to him, assessing him and looking him up and down, "You punched in?"

"Yes, go away." Cassie nodded quickly.

"Good, I'm sick of having to report back on your stupid ass-"

Punk reached out and grabbed Theo's coffee from him suddenly as Cassie watched nervously.

"Excuse me?" Theo looked at Punk, having no idea who he actually was.

Punk walked over to the trash, throwing the full coffee in the trash and slamming the lid shut.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Theo exclaimed angrily.

"Oh my God." Cassie groaned, embarrassed as she placed her hand over her forehead.

"Why don't you take your stupid ass and get to work." Punk nodded to him.

"Theo, this is… my dad." Cassie explained as Theo looked at him.

"Yeah well your dad owes me a fucking coffee." Theo shook his head, looking at Punk who stared at him, backing away and walking off into the station.

"Why are you the way you are?" Cassie shook her head.

"What? You let him talk to you like that?" Punk asked with concern.

"It's just how he is." Cassie explained, "What are you actually here for?"

"What do you mean? I'm here to tell someone about this drug circle-"

"Yeah but… no offence, that's not really you. You're… dad. You do the wrong things all the time. This is very clearly the right thing." Cassie said, "Makes no sense." She said as Punk raised a brow.

"I know I can't handle this on my own. I'm no spring chicken." Punk said, "Colour yourself shocked because I… am doing the right thing." He nodded as she looked at him.

"What are you exactly going to say. You realise you can't just get cops to go arrest these guys. We need evidence. Which means we need Thea's statement." Cassie said.

"I'd really rather do this without her." Punk nodded, "Where's that bastard Hamilton?" He asked.

"That's who you wanna talk to?" Cassie shook her head.

"No, I just like watching him walk around all crippled." Punk nodded to her as Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Ok, I'll see who is free right now to talk to you. Just wait here. Don't touch anything." She warned as Punk nodded, watching her walk away into the back of the station.

He was all kinds of proud of her. She'd reached for something that had always been such a negative in their lives, and turned it into a positive. He saw the hard work she put in, the determination and perseverance. She definitely had the bravery and fearlessness of a cop, so it came as no surprise that she was thriving.

"Excuse me, I'm… looking for Cassie Brooks?" Daniel walked into the station, appearing at the desk beside Punk as he spoke to the lady behind the desk. Punk looked at him, wondering why an old man was asking for his daughter by full name.

"Who are you?" Punk said bluntly. He really had no filter. He would say what he felt whenever he wished.

"Excuse me?" Daniel turned to him.

"I said who are you?" Punk nodded.

"None of your damn business." Daniel scoffed as Punk stared at him.

"Oh, really? Cassie is my daughter. I think it is my business." Punk nodded to him as Daniel gulped, looking across at Punk with a different expression suddenly, "What?" Punk shook his head.

"I-I have to go." Daniel backed away in disbelief, looking at Punk who shook his head.

"What is with everyone today?" Punk turned to the lady behind the desk whilst Daniel had left the station.

"Ok, dad. I got someone." Cassie came back to the front of the station, "This is-"

"Cass some creepy old guy was here asking for you." Punk said.

"The man who was here yesterday." The lady behind the desk nodded to Cassie as she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh… my god." Cassie whispered to herself, "You…. You saw him?"

"Yeah and then he… left." Punk shook his head, unbothered as Cassie gulped.

"I'm detective Manson." The cop behind Cassie nodded, butting himself into the conversation and shaking Punk's hand, "But you can call me Jake." He said as Punk nodded, "I'm uh… I'm Cassie's boss." He smiled as Cassie nodded, trying to get herself together.

"Yeah, he's my boss." Cassie said, eyeing Punk with an expression of warning.

"Come this way and we can talk." Jake nodded to Punk, guiding him through some doors towards one of the interview rooms, "I just want to say Cassie is a terrific young girl. A great cop in the making."

"Yeah? I think so too." Punk nodded proudly.

"Ok, let's talk." Jake nodded, opening up the door to the interview room as Punk walked in. As the years went by, the police station was actually beginning to feel like a safe space to him for the first time. Not a place where he felt shamed and disrespected.

* * *

"Hey, mom." Jude smiled, watching her mother walk into her kitchen with lunch for them.

"Oh, hi baby." AJ smiled, happy to see her daughter, giving her a tight hug.

"Something smells good." Jude said with interest as AJ chuckled, sitting the food down on the table.

"Brought you your favourite sandwich." AJ smiled, "Sean working?"

"Yeah, he's been all over the place doing night shifts and then day shifts… he's got a couple days off next week, though. We're gonna go into town and start getting things for the nursery." She said.

"I thought you were painting it?" AJ asked her.

"Oh, I am. I mean like the crib and changing table-"

"Me and your father are gonna buy the crib. We told you this." AJ said.

"You did?" Jude wondered, sitting down at the table, unwrapping her sandwich.

"Yeah." AJ laughed a little, "Pregnancy brain got you." She nodded.

"You know what else has got me? Sneezing and pee coming out. What's that about?" Jude shook her head, "Is that normal?"

"Yeah, and it's all downhill from there too." AJ chuckled as Jude groaned, "At least you're getting boobs." She pointed out.

"I know!" Jude said excitedly, looking in her t-shirt, "I'm hoping they stay with me. I like having them." She nodded as AJ chuckled, "She's been kicking like crazy the past few days."

"That's good. She's healthy." AJ smiled as Jude nodded.

"Or she knows Aunt Thea is in trouble." Jude nodded as AJ looked across at her.

"Your dad has gone to the police right now." AJ said.

"What is he even going to tell them?" Jude shook her head.

"That he was assaulted and beaten up. That these men are dangerous and they're threatening Thea. He's got their addresses and names, idea of where they run around… hopefully the cops can make a move on it fast." AJ said, "I don't think Thea is in a very good place."

"I want to go see her." Jude sighed to herself as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, me too." AJ nodded, "But your dad is right, we shouldn't give these guys any opportunity to find out where she is." She said as Jude nodded.

"I don't want her to blame herself. She hasn't even done anything wrong." Jude shook her head.

"When you get involved with drugs… no matter if you're taking them, dealing them, supplying them… whatever… you open up that door to that world. It never really gets closed." AJ shook her head, "Stays wedged open. And you just wait… you wait for the next thing to push it back open for some mistake to get out and get you again." She said as Jude nodded.

"Doesn't sound too inviting." Jude nodded, "We've all got our baggage. We shouldn't be in danger or threatened by it. She wasn't a bad kid." She shook her head.

"No, she wasn't a bad kid." AJ agreed, "Not even close."

* * *

"_Move." Sixteen year old AJ pushed her way into the girls bathroom in school, "Get out." She ordered to the few girls standing looking in the mirrors, watching as they panicked and quickly left the bathroom._

_She knew what people thought of her. She didn't really care, but maybe in the back of her head, she cared a little. She heard the whispers. The rumours about her family. The names she was called. She definitely wasn't popular for the right reasons. _

_She crouched down at the closed cubicle, looking under to make sure she'd found who she was looking for._

"_Chloe?" AJ checked._

"_Yeah?" A nervous voice replied as AJ walked over to the sink, sitting up on it and waiting._

"_Hey, I just wanna talk." AJ folded her arms._

"_Oh." Chloe said, unlocking the cubicle door as AJ watched her come out. She was blonde, a sweetheart, kind and an all-round good person, "Hi." Chloe nodded a little nervously as AJ nodded to her._

"_Hi." AJ mimicked, watching her washing her hands._

"_You ok?" Chloe asked._

"_I'm fine." AJ nodded, "I uh… I heard you asked Phil out on a date." She said as Chloe turned to her._

"_You did?" Chloe asked, drying her hands on some paper towels._

"_Yeah, word travels fast." AJ smiled, acting sweet._

"_Yeah, I did." Chloe nodded, "He didn't really anything." She laughed a little, embarrassed._

"_You like him? Or are you just trying to be the quirky popular girl who asks out the weird kid?" She asked._

"_Well if I wanted to do that, I'd ask you out." Chloe teased, chuckling to herself as AJ watched her fixing her hair in the mirror._

"_You like that mirror, huh?" AJ nodded, jumping off the sink._

"_Why are you so bothered about me asking Phil out anyway?" Chloe asked._

"_Because I'm dating him and you know I am." AJ said as Chloe nodded._

"_Yeah well… we all need to upgrade every now and then." Chloe nodded as AJ watched her. _

"_Yeah, maybe your right." AJ smiled, stepping towards her as Chloe nodded. _

_AJ then suddenly grabbed her by the back of the neck, smashing her head into the mirror in front of her as it smashed into pieces, dragging her by the hair and throwing her into the cubicle._

_It got bloody on both ends as they fought in the bathroom, with AJ doing most of the fighting, eventually dragging Chloe out of the bathroom in a bloody mess. She saw it as protecting her own feelings and nothing more. _

_She watched as other students in the corridor gasped and stopped what they were doing, watching as AJ dragged Chloe out of the girls bathroom._

_AJ crouched down to Chloe, brushing her hair from her bloody face where the girl was crying._

_Meanwhile Punk and Dean had come around the corner, pausing in their tracks when they saw the obvious fight which had taken place._

"_Jesus Christ." Dean cringed as Punk looked over, "She's worse than you." He teased his brother as Punk looked over with concern, ignoring his brother._

"_It's not much of an upgrade." AJ nodded._

"_Get away from me!" Chloe yelled hysterically, holding her bloody face, trying to squirm away along the floor from AJ who stood up straight, looking around at everyone staring at her, turning around and noticing Punk and Dean looking over at her._

_She wiped the blood from her own nose along her arm, walking down the corridor, keeping her eyes on Punk as he saw the unapologetic look on her face, one he mostly saw staring back at him in the mirror._

"_Can't believe we missed it." Dean huffed, folding his arms with disappointment as Punk watched AJ walking past him with a smile on her face, heading away out of the school doors._


	19. Rapid Fire

**Rapid Fire**

* * *

"What the hell are you doing? You can't just keep popping up at my work." Cassie said as Daniel opened the door to her in his house.

"I'm-I'm sorry. I should never have come." He nodded, attempting to shut the door over as Cassie put her foot down and stepped into the house.

"Move out my way, old man." Cassie shook her head, walking on into the house as Daniel sighed to himself.

Cassie walked into the living room which was very basic and simple, not that she was there to judge his interior design by any means.

"You should just go. You're right. I have no business coming to see you at work." Daniel understood.

"You can't just pop up and run away whenever you like. If you want to have an actual conversation then we can-"

"Was that my son?" Daniel asked, looking across at her with wonder, "Was that Phil?"

"Yeah." Cassie nodded, "Yeah, that was him." She said as Daniel nodded, "He's nice once you get to know him, I promise." She said, "So is my uncle. They're both a little… crazy but it's understandable after the life they've lived."

"He likes tattoos?" Daniel asked, looking at his own dark tattoos on his arms.

"Yeah, he's pretty covered." Cassie nodded.

"I was never a fan of coloured ink but he… he suits them." Daniel nodded to himself.

"Yeah, I think so." Cassie said, "He's got all our names on him. Mines is around a soccer ball. I played until I was sixteen." She said, "Wears his heart on his sleeve." She nodded.

"Clearly." Daniel nodded as Cassie watched him, "Last time I saw him he was… he was just crawling around on the floor." He shook his head, "There's no coming back from all that time I've not been there."

"My dad was in prison for eight years." Cassie said as Daniel lifted his head with shock, looking over at her, "He also served time when he was nineteen for a year. He was… a drug dealer." She nodded, "Ironically he hasn't had a drop of alcohol or taken any drugs in his life." She cared to add as Daniel looked at her, "But he missed the first eight years of my life. And eight important years of my sister's lives." She nodded, "And I know that eight years is nothing compared to fifty plus years but… you won't until you talk to them." Cassie said.

"He went to prison?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah." Cassie nodded, "Maybe you have more in common with him than you think." He said, "Of course, talking about the tattoos." She joked as Daniel smiled a little, looking over at her.

"It's certainly not something I wanted to bond over with, with him." Daniel scoffed, "What about Dean?"

"I mean… he's got a criminal record. A long one. But… no prison time." Cassie said as Daniel nodded slowly, "Look I can't force you to do anything, and maybe this is the wrong timing… my family are kinda going through something right now. But… clearly you're on your own here, and it feels unfair that you have a whole family ten minutes away who you know nothing about."

"There's a reason." Daniel nodded, "I walked out. And I… I wasn't there. I don't deserve a family." He nodded. He truly believed that.

"I believe you deserve a chance." Cassie nodded.

"It's not you who I walked out on." Daniel reminded her.

"I know that." Cassie said.

"Do you have a… a picture of him and Dean?" Daniel wondered as Cassie watched him. She could see he was in shock and awe, and she didn't blame him. Meeting his son for the first time, after all these years must have been extremely strange.

"Not one I can give you but… I'm sure I'll have one on my phone." Cassie nodded, taking her phone out and flicking through her pictures, "Here's one." She nodded, tapping on the picture and showing him as Daniel took the phone from her and stared at her.

"That's Dean?" He pointed to Dean.

"Yeah." Cassie nodded. In a way, it made her incredibly sad to see how taken back he was by this. She didn't know much about him, but she could tell he had human emotions which was always good to know.

"And… and who is that?" Daniel asked curiously.

"That's my mom." Cassie smiled, looking at the picture of her parents and Dean from one Christmas ago.

"They're not what I expected." He shook his head.

"What did you expect?" Cassie laughed a little, putting her phone back in her pocket.

"I'm not sure." Daniel realised as Cassie nodded, "I just don't see what change or good I could do for them now-"

"You never know." Cassie said, "I'm gonna leave you my number and if you need to talk or you wanna know anything either text or call me." She nodded, grabbing the newspaper and the pen sitting on the coffee table, writing her number down, "Just take the time to think about it and if in the end you… you really don't wanna see them then… I'll leave you alone." She nodded as he took the newspaper from her and nodded slowly.

"Ok." Daniel nodded to her.

"Ok." Cassie said, "I will… see myself out." She pointed behind her as Daniel nodded, watching her leave the house as he sat down in the empty living room holding onto the newspaper, thinking about everything.

* * *

"How'd it go at the station?" AJ asked, standing in the kitchen where Punk walked into.

"I mean… as good as it could have." Punk nodded, "Talked to a detective, Cassie's boss actually-"

"Did you behave?" AJ questioned.

"Yes, I behaved." Punk said defensively as she smiled, "He was a nice guy, actually. Kept saying how great Cassie is. I got dad proud." He nodded as she smiled, "Told him everything that Thea told me. Also gave him names and addresses. He said they'll be looking into it. They're aware of gangs and drug circles in the southside operating so I guess it's something they've already been tracking, which is a good thing." Punk nodded.

"Can't they just go arrest them right now?" AJ asked, "I mean… if not for drugs and harassing Thea then for assaulting you. You just have to look at you for evidence."

"He took notes of everything but he said they'd rather build a case up to get them good." Punk said as AJ nodded, "He also said he'd call the Milwaukee precinct and have a car outside Thea's house."

"Oh." AJ said with surprise, "That's good." She nodded.

"Yeah, he was a nice guy. He's taking it seriously." Punk nodded, "So if we can just… maintain this for however long we need. Keep ourselves safe. These guys will be caught sooner than later." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah." AJ agreed, "I just don't want Thea thinking this is all her fault. I know her. I know how she thinks. She'll be thinking that she's dragging us all down into a mess that she thinks is her fault." She said, "I wish I could see her." She sighed sadly.

"We'll see her soon." Punk nodded, "She's safe with Dominic and the kids." He said as AJ sighed to herself, "So she got into some trouble when she was young. It happens. We did." He said as AJ nodded, "But she never did anything wrong. She chose to… know the wrong people."

"I should have known. I should have protected her from that stuff. I mean look where I came from. Look what I went through as a teenager. Why wasn't I more protective-"

"April, you were. You put trust in them. She was old enough to know her right from wrong-"

"But I knew she was in a difficult place. I knew she was." AJ shook her head.

"You had… so much on your plate. Three kids. I wasn't here. A job. A house. Bills. I can't imagine how difficult it was and you did the best damn job at raising them-"

"This is not evidence of that." AJ shook her head with disappointment.

"Hey, you look at me." He said, tilting her head up by her chin to look at him, "You are the best mom in the world. Fact." He nodded, "Nothing is your fault. I think as parents we just feel like we need to take blame, so the girls never feel guilt. But I don't want you feeling that guilt." He said, "We're gonna be ok. Thea is gonna be ok." He nodded.

"Yeah… I know." AJ sighed, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged her tightly.

"I'm gonna call Thea later and let her know everything." Punk said as AJ nodded, "Cassie not home yet?" He wondered.

"No, she text saying she was staying late at work." AJ said.

"Feel like I've barely saw her this week." Punk shook his head.

"Yeah, me too." AJ nodded, "She's probably just burying her head in work." She said as Punk nodded, "Ok, you go call Thea and I will make some coffee." She patted his chest as he nodded, leaning down and kissing her softly.

* * *

"You are… amazing." Theo said, collapsing down on the bed beside Cassie who chuckled.

"I know." Cassie nodded casually as he put a hand under his head, turning to her and watching as she scratched the palms of her hands.

"Why do you always do that?" Theo asked.

"What?" Cassie turned to him.

"You scratch your hands. You nervous or something?" He laughed a little.

"Oh… no, it's just habit." Cassie nodded.

"Stress habit?" Theo asked, "Cause you're still stressed about something and I'm assuming it's got something to do with your dad showing up at the station today who… by the way, not a very pleasant guy."

"Yeah, well you don't know him." Cassie said, "You need to get to know him before you make that call." She said, "My sister is just… in some trouble. Thea. We're trying to get it fixed."

"Can I do anything?" Theo asked.

"No, it's fine. Not really much you can do anyway." Cassie nodded as he looked at her. Even though he wasn't trying, he was getting to know her a lot more intimately than he did before. Not because he was asking, but just through their casual hook ups.

"What's with the dragon on your hip? Kinda freaks me out a little when I go down there." He chuckled as Cassie smiled.

"It's a tattoo I have with my sisters." Cassie nodded, "We all have one."

"That's sweet." Theo said, "You got any others?"

"No, just that one." Cassie said as Theo nodded, "Look you don't have to fill the awkward silence-"

"It's not awkward." Theo shrugged.

"Well you don't have to ask me things just because… we're doing this. We can still keep doing this without having to know each other." She shook her head. She didn't want a relationship. She wasn't interested one bit. She was human and she was delighted about all the sex, especially with a good looking guy who, despite his attitude, was a respectful and good person. But she wasn't interested in dating him. Not even secretly.

"I know that but… we still gotta talk to each other." Theo chuckled, "Don't worry, just because you tell me something about yourself doesn't mean I'm gonna fall in love with you." He shook his head.

"I find that hard to believe." Cassie said cockily.

"Let's say we got ten questions each and we gotta answer them." Theo said as Cassie turned to him.

"Fine. You ask first." Cassie folded her arms, lying in bed naked beside him in the most unromantic way she possibly could.

"Ok…" Theo thought to himself, "Celebrity crush?" He asked.

"Leonardo DiCaprio." Cassie nodded.

"I agree, he is very nice to look at." Theo nodded, "Uh… you're on death row, what's your last meal?"

"Mom's tacos." Cassie nodded immediately.

"That was a quick answer." Theo chuckled, "Mom most make good tacos."

"She does." Cassie nodded, "Next."

"Guilty pleasure?" He asked.

"Chip sandwich." Cassie said.

"The hell is that?" Theo laughed.

"Chips on a sandwich. Two pieces of bread, butter, dump the chips on it, fold the sandwich over… best thing in the world." Cassie said.

"That sounds dry." Theo nodded, "Favourite music?"

"I love old music. Billy Ocean, Jackie Wilson, Duran Duran, The Jam-"

"That's the most ghetto Punk taste I've ever heard." Theo chuckled to himself, "Where'd you listen to stuff like that?"

"My dad and my uncle." Cassie said, "Old music just sounds so much better." She nodded as Theo smiled as he looked at her, getting a little distracted, "Next." She turned to him.

"Uh… embarrassing sex story?" Theo smiled.

"You really wanna know all these things?" Cassie asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah, everyone loves a good embarrassing sex story." Theo nodded.

"I threw up on a guy." Cassie nodded to him as Theo raised his eyebrows, "Whilst I was going down on him."

"No." Theo laughed loudly, "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Really not sure how I made it through that alive, thinking back." Cassie thought to herself.

"Why did you throw up?" Theo shook his head.

"I have bad gag reflexes." Cassie shrugged as Theo laughed louder.

"You're ridiculous." He chuckled as she smiled to herself. She did enjoy hearing him laugh.

"Five more. Make them good." Cassie nodded.

"If you could punch one family member, who would it be?" Theo asked as Cassie laughed.

"What? You can't ask me that." Cassie chuckled.

"I can and I did. You gotta answer." Theo said, "Come on, I bet someone came to mind right away when I asked." He said as Cassie thought to herself.

"Yeah, but I don't know why." She shook her head, "Jude." She said as Theo chuckled, "Probably because Thea would absolutely kick my ass in a fight."

"Something that makes you smile?" Theo asked.

"Old couples." Cassie nodded.

"You're so anti-relationship, though." Theo said.

"Yeah, I am but… other people aren't and I dig that." Cassie said, "I think it's sweet when you see an old couple sitting on a bench. Or they're helping each other. I think it's sweet." She smiled to herself as Theo watched her, "Also watching people fall makes me smile." She added as he nodded.

"Something you hate?" Theo asked.

"Double standards." Cassie nodded.

"I figured." Theo nodded, "Favourite family memory?" He asked her as Cassie thought to herself.

"It's a pretty early memory." Cassie said, "But I can remember it like it was yesterday." She said, "I had to have been eight or nine." She nodded, "My dad was not long out of prison and I… I was just getting to know him. And it was the first time that all five of us spent time together, at the same time." She said, "We were down at the docks and… we had hot-dogs and… played card games, watched the fish… first time we were an actual family." She smiled to herself as Theo watched her.

"Sounds nice." He nodded sincerely as she turned to him and nodded.

"It was." She said quietly, looking at him as he looked back, "Ok, last one. Make it a good one." She broke eye contact with him as he nodded.

"Uh… your worst fear? What is Cassie afraid of?" He smiled.

"Losing someone I love." Cassie nodded, "I guess most people are but… it really scares me." She admitted, "And I feel lucky that I've never really lost anyone close to me. I'm really lucky." She nodded to herself, "But it terrifies me."

"Yeah, I get that." Theo nodded, "Is that why you don't like relationships?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's that… it's other things." Cassie said as he nodded, "Life can be unpredictable and I don't wanna get attached to something I have no control over."

"You can't live like that, though." Theo shook his head, "You can't be scared to… live."

"I am living." Cassie said, "I don't need a relationship to feel fulfilled." She shook her head as he nodded slowly.

"That's fair enough." Theo nodded.

"Ok… my turn." She smiled deviously, turning onto her side and thinking of some questions to ask him. She wasn't realising how much of an escape this was really becoming. A good escape.


	20. Being There

**Being There**

* * *

"So my dad called." Thea said, walking into the bedroom where Dominic was already in bed.

"With good news?" Dominic asked as she got into bed beside him.

"As good as it can be right now, I guess." Thea said, "They're not gonna make any moves right now but apparently they've been monitoring a few drug gangs in that neighbourhood. They wanna try and get more evidence before they make a move." She said, "But… if you look outside you will find a cop car sitting. Apparently the detective my dad spoke to called the precinct here and asked for our house to have twenty four seven supervision." She nodded.

"Damn, they're really starting to treat your dad nice in the station." Dominic scoffed.

"Yeah, no kidding." Thea said, "They wanna come visit us but my dad said it might not be a good idea. Just incase someone follows them or finds out where we are." She said.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Dominic agreed.

"Spoke to Jude too. She said the baby is kicking a lot." Thea smiled, "Haven't heard from Cassie, though." She said.

"We'll see them once this is all blown over. Which will be soon." Dominic nodded, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" Thea asked him as he looked in her eyes.

"Why would you even ask me that?" Dominic asked, "No, Thea. You're not a bad person."

"I've done so many horrible things. And I… I had the cheek to shame my dad for things he'd done. I'm… I'm just as bad." She shook her head.

"No you're not. You've done nothing wrong-"

"I murdered someone." Thea looked at him, "What does that say about me? Being able to take someone else's life?"

"It says that you're brave and that you love your sister, and that you done the world a favour by doing what you did." Dominic nodded, "He was a serial rapist. You can't possibly feel guilty about that."

"It's not about who he was it was just… the fact I was able to do it." Thea shook her head.

"You did it because of what he did to Jude. We all wanted to. There's no place for people like Jackson on this earth." Dominic reminded her, "None of this makes you a bad person." He cupped her cheek.

"I didn't feel like it back then. Or even a couple years ago. But now it… it feels like it's just hit me. Everything I did-"

"What is everything? What did you do that you think is so bad? Take drugs?" Dominic questioned.

"Well… yeah. And befriend people who were bad. Who weren't good for me." She said, "And you know about the whole thing that I haven't told anyone about before."

"Yeah and you don't need to tell anyone. It's none of their business." Dominic made clear.

"I still feel bad that I never told my mom. If she found out I went to Sam instead she'd be so upset." AJ sighed.

"You did what you had to do. That's something you hold close to your chest. You tell who you want. You're not obliged to let anyone know what happened or what you did. And it certainly does not make you a bad person. No one in this family would think that." He made clear.

"I still don't wanna tell them." Thea shook her head.

"You don't have to." Dominic nodded, "You didn't even have to tell me. It's no one's business."

"Yeah, I know." Thea smiled softly, taking his hand in hers, "I just feel like everything has built up. Like I'm having a midlife crisis or something." She rolled her eyes as he smiled.

"You're not in the middle of your life yet." Dominic chuckled.

"When's midlife?" Thea wondered.

"Like when you're in your forties." Dominic chuckled.

"Oh." Thea realised as he chuckled, "I didn't know that." She said, rubbing her head tiredly as Dominic watched her.

"You been sleeping?" He asked her.

"Not much." She said, "What are we gonna do about Sofia? She won't go to that playgroup. I can't take her to work. You can't." She said, "These pesky kids can be difficult." She teased as Dominic chuckled and nodded.

"She can come with me for the time being. But we gotta try getting her used to going to playgroup. Cause soon it'll be school and it's not like she can dip on that." He said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Thea sighed, "Maybe once this is all over we can… move back to Chicago." She nodded.

"Well I know that would make you happy." He smiled as she nodded, "And I'm all about you being happy."

"I know." She smiled sweetly, "I'm sorry for snapping at you yesterday." She said as Dominic nodded.

"It's ok." Dominic nodded, "The only thing that bothered me was the fact you could think I would ever feel like I… picked the wrong one." He shook his head, "Or that I was unlucky with finding you." He said as Thea smiled a little, "I definitely picked the right one." He assured her as she smiled.

"I think you did too." Thea nodded as he chuckled, wrapping his arm around her as she curled into him.

* * *

"Hey, fatty." Punk nodded, walking into his kitchen where Jude was sitting the next day.

"Hey." Jude nodded, "I didn't know mom was at work today. I was coming over to get that brochure from her. She said there was a ton of baby stuff in it. I'm assuming you have no idea where it is?"

"Not got a clue." Punk nodded truthfully, "I can have a look for it, though." He said.

"Did you talk to Thea?" Jude asked him.

"Yeah, spoke to her last night." Punk nodded, "Brought her up to speed with everything. Makes me feel better that there's a cop car watching her house." He said, "And it looks promising that the cops will get this group."

"Yeah well hopefully it's soon." Jude nodded.

"Yeah, it should be. Right now we just gotta look out for ourselves." He nodded.

"I thought mom would have taken a couple days off work." Jude said.

"Well you know your mom, she doesn't really stop for anything." He chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, that's true." Jude nodded.

"You want some food?" He asked her.

"I've just ate." Jude shook her head as Punk nodded, "But… is that donuts over there?" She asked as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, you want one?" He chuckled a little as she nodded, watching as he went over to the box of glazed donuts, taking one out and putting it on a plate for her.

"The day I come here and there's no donuts lying around, I'll know there's something wrong with the both of you." Jude nodded as Punk smiled.

"How's the baby shopping coming along?" He asked her, sitting down at the table across from her.

"Yeah, it's ok." Jude shrugged as he looked at her.

"Just ok?" Punk asked.

"Well we were supposed to be going today, into town to get some stuff but Sean got called into work." Jude said as Punk nodded slowly, "And now he has to work on his days off next week too." She said, "And I know that it's not gonna be like this forever. He's just working on a case right now that needs a lot of attention." She said, "But… it's not like I'm gonna be pregnant for the first time again. I wish he realised that."

"Have you talked to him about it?" Punk asked. He missed the days where he sat at the kitchen table begging his daughters to eat their Spaghettio's. Now he was listening to them talk about their husband and boyfriend problems.

"Yeah, he knows how I feel. And I know he's sorry about it." Jude understood, "It's just hard to get excited about this stuff on my own." She shrugged.

"I'm sure his job will calm down soon." Punk nodded, "I thought you were painting the nursery?"

"I am. I made a start this morning." Jude nodded, "And then I'm teaching a class tomorrow morning so I'm all art'd out this week." She said as he smiled.

"Like you're complaining about that." He smiled as she nodded, "If you want… I'm not busy right now, I could come into town with you and help you get some things?" He asked her as she looked across at him.

"Yeah?" She asked as he nodded.

"Sure. I don't mind." He nodded as she smiled.

"Thank you." She smiled, "You secretly like shopping anyway." She scoffed.

"I have three daughters. I've taught myself how to enjoy shopping." Punk nodded as she chuckled.

"Let me finish my donut and then we can go." She nodded as he smiled.

* * *

"What are we doing? I thought we were going to talk to a witness?" Cassie turned to Theo, sitting in his car as they pulled up on the street.

"We are but I wanted to show you something first." Theo nodded, "Get out." He said as Cassie shook her head with confusion, getting out of the car and shutting the door over behind her.

"Do we have time for detours?" Cassie folded her arms.

"You're the rookie. I'm the pro. We got time for detours." He nodded as she scoffed, walking over onto the sidewalk with him.

"Well what are we doing?" Cassie asked.

"Going in here." Theo said, walking towards a small store on the corner as Cassie looked at it, "You're gonna love it." He nodded as Cassie followed him curiously.

They walked into the store, Cassie following behind Theo as she realised it was a record store. It was small and cramped but extremely cute.

"What is this?" Cassie smiled a little.

"They sell original records here from the fifties, sixties, seventies…" Theo nodded to her as Cassie looked around at all the shelves.

"Originals?" Cassie asked, walking down one of the aisles, pulling out some records as Theo watched her.

"Yeah." Theo nodded as Cassie turned to him.

"What are you doing this for?" She shook her head, "I hope you're not trying to impress me." She said worriedly as Theo chuckled.

"Just wanted to show you it." Theo assured her as she nodded.

"Well that's ok then." Cassie smiled, "Because it's pretty cool." She nodded, pulling out some records going along the aisles as Theo smiled watching her, "My aunt and uncle would love this." She said, "I didn't even know this place was here." She shook her head.

"It's kinda small. Easily missed." Theo nodded, just watching her as she took out records, admiring the smile on her face as she done so.

He then watched as an old couple walked into the aisle from the other end, noticing Cassie smiling to them happily, which only made him smile more.


	21. Gone

**Gone**

* * *

A month had gone by and everyone was trying their best to get on with their respect lives as best they could. Punk was in touch with the detective he had spoken to and was kept up to date with their progress. Ideally, they wished it could have been cleared up by now but there was still things they were waiting on to make the final move.

Cassie hadn't heard from Daniel since she gave him her phone number. She figured he was taking time to think about it, and perhaps had decided he didn't want to make any steps to meeting his sons. She couldn't force him and she'd come to terms with it being his decision.

Jude was now seven months pregnant with a noticeable bump and a half painted nursery she was working on between teaching classes at the institute. Things were looking healthy and that was the important thing.

Thea and Dominic were doing their best to settle into their new home in Milwaukee. Even with things so up in the air, they knew they had to try and make it work. They were also in touch with the precinct close to them which made Thea feel safer than before. The only thing that was really getting her down in the dumps was the fact she hadn't saw any of her family in over a month. She believed it was the longest she'd gone without seeing them, and she was really struggling.

Punk and AJ were holding the fort as best they could, doing what they done best and making sure their daughters were all safe and sound on some level. They just wished things could be over quicker for them all.

"Have you heard from Jake today?" AJ asked, walking into the kitchen after getting home from work.

"No, he's not called." Punk shook his head, making dinner for them at the stove, "I did speak to Thea today, though. She said James lost a tooth." He chuckled.

"Oh." AJ laughed a little, "First tooth fairy visit then?" She smiled.

"Yeah, she left five bucks on his pillow." Punk scoffed.

"Five?" AJ asked, "Thea's not normally that generous." She said.

"That's exactly what I said." He said.

"How is she?" AJ sighed, taking her coat off.

"She sounds ok." Punk nodded, "She's just missing all of us. She's desperate to come back."

"I miss her." AJ sighed sadly. It was really affecting her mood as of late, not having seen her daughter in over a month. It was beginning to bother her.

"I told you why don't you try the face call thing?" Punk asked, "What's it called? Facetiming?"

"Phil, I want to give her a hug." AJ huffed sadly as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I do too." Punk said, "But she's safe, and the cops are working on it. I… trust them." He nodded.

"And what if this group… this gang know that we've gone to the cops? What if they're onto us?" AJ asked him.

"They won't." Punk shook his head, "They gave me a beating and thought that Thea would come out of hiding, so they could find her again. They're stuck, and they'll get what's coming."

"Yeah." AJ sighed, sitting down at the kitchen table, "Where's Cassie?" She wondered.

"She text earlier saying she was staying late again." Punk said as AJ folded her arms curiously.

"She's been staying late an awful lot lately." AJ said with a raised brow, "What is she up to?" She wondered.

"I think she's just had a lot of work to do." Punk shrugged as AJ shook her head.

"Every night?" AJ questioned, "Maybe she's got a boyfriend?" She wondered curiously as Punk raised a brow.

"Don't think so." Punk shook his head.

"Why? It's possible." AJ said.

"It's Cassie. She hates… that stuff." Punk shrugged.

"Maybe she's met someone, though." AJ said.

"Not another cop." Punk sighed to himself sadly, leaning his forehead against the fridge for a seconds before opening it up as AJ chuckled.

"I don't know, maybe she is just working late." AJ shrugged, "None of my business." She waved her hand, "Whatever your cooking smells nice." She nodded.

"Yeah? Well I've been slaving away all day like the good house wife I am." He teased as AJ smiled, getting up and walking over to him, hugging him from behind and kissing his arm as he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her, kissing her head.

* * *

"Hey someone dropped off as basket for you." Cassie shook her head with confusion, walking over to Theo's desk with a gift basket, sitting it down as Theo stood up, "The lady said you were very kind to her after her house was burgled." She turned to him.

"Little old ladies love me." Theo nodded as she smiled.

"Well clearly." Cassie nodded, "This is cute." She smiled, lifting out the small teddy bear in the basket.

"You can have the teddy bear if you like. But I'm keeping the chocolates." Theo said as Cassie nodded.

"Deal." Cassie nodded, sitting the teddy bear down at the desk.

"You wanna grab some tacos?" Theo asked her as Cassie looked down.

"Look, I know that you're just being friendly, and all these dinners and lunches are great because… I love food." She nodded as he chuckled a little.

"Yeah?" He waited.

"But… maybe we should just reign it in a little." Cassie nodded, "I'm still not looking for a relationship." She made clear.

"Neither am I." Theo said, "But the more you keep saying that, the more it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself, not me." He said.

"I'm not trying to convince myself." Cassie shook her head.

She had gotten close to Theo. They slept together almost every night. They worked together. She learned from him and he sometimes learned from her. He was her friend. A good friend. And she liked it that way. But as of late, she had been realising certain things changing. Like the increase of opening up they had been doing. The change in sex. The way she sometimes caught him just looking over at her with a smile. She felt like things were heading in a different direction suddenly and she didn't know if she wanted that.

"Sounds like you are." Theo nodded, "Don't worry, I'm not asking you out on a date. It's a couple tacos and then I'll screw you in the back of my car." He shrugged as Cassie laughed a little.

"You kidding? That sounds like a date to me." She joked as he smiled. He was having a hard time ignoring how he really felt about her, "Ok, fine. But you're paying." She said as he nodded. Her casual personality wasn't something he was used to. It was like having an amazing best friend, who he could also trust and have amazing sex with. It wasn't like anything he'd ever experienced before.

"Ok, let me go punch out and get my stuff." Theo nodded to her.

"Where am I gonna sit this basket? It's huge." Cassie asked.

"Just leave it there." Theo called, walking away to go punch out and get his jacket.

Cassie looked through the rest of the gift basket, smiling to herself as she picked the small teddy bear, turning around and watching as Theo was grabbing his jacket, turning back around and sighing to herself, sitting the teddy bear back down, about to move the basket over to the corner when she felt her phone ringing in her pocket.

She saw it was Jude calling her, answering and raising the phone to her ear, "Hey, fatty." Cassie smiled, pausing as she didn't hear anything on the other end, "Jude?" Cassie said, watching as Theo walked towards her.

"Ready to go?" He asked her.

"Wait…" Cassie shook her head with concern, "Jude? Are you there?" She asked into the phone. It was eerily quiet.

"Cassie?" Jude said on the end of the line.

"Yeah." Cassie said, "Jude, what's wrong?" She questioned worriedly as Theo looked on with concern.

"You need to come down to the docks." Jude said, almost robotically as Cassie looked at Theo who folded his arms.

"Why? Jude what's going on?" Cassie asked.

"You just need to come to the docks and… and come alone." Jude said.

"Jude… you're scaring me, what the hell-" She paused as the line went dead, the call disconnecting as she looked up at Theo.

"What?" Theo shook his head.

"I think my sister is in trouble." Cassie said, looking up at him, "Is Sean here?"

"Yeah, I just saw him in the back." Theo said, "Where is she?"

"The docks." Cassie said, "I'm gonna call my mom and dad. Meet me there." Cassie said, running away out of the station as Theo ran away to get Sean in the back.

* * *

Cassie drove to the docks, her hands shaking as she tried to grip the steering wheel. She was frightened by the tone in her sister's voice. Concerned as to why she would be at the docks.

She parked in the car park, getting out of the car and climbing down the ladders, hovering her hand over her gun in her back pocket.

"Jude!" Cassie called, noticing in the distance on the boardwalk, her sister with someone standing behind her, "Jude!" She called, moving quicker, placing her hand on her gun.

She couldn't see very clearly until she got closer to the boardwalk, noticing it was a man standing behind Jude, with a tattoo under his eye, and alarmingly, a gun in his hand.

"You never told me she was a cop." Austin grabbed Jude by the back of the neck as Jude stayed calm.

"You asked me to call my little sister. I called her." Jude said calmly, watching Cassie running down the boardwalk.

"Let her go!" Cassie raised her gun, her hands shaking as Austin chuckled.

"You look like you should be in kindergarten, sweetie." Austin smiled.

"Let my sister go." Cassie demanded, "Right now." She said. She never thought the first time she'd be dealing with this type of thing as a cop, she would be trying to protect her sister.

"Hey!" Sean yelled, appearing running down the docks with Theo whilst Cassie kept her eyes on Austin, "Let her go right now!" Sean said desperately, running down the boardwalk.

"Are you all fucking cops?" Austin spat, "Are you kidding me?" He hissed, raising the gun and pressing it against Jude's head as Jude shut her eyes fearfully.

"Hey!" Sean exclaimed, passing by Cassie.

"Come closer and I'll pull it." Austin warned him as Sean gulped, his hands sweating as he looked over at Jude.

"Just… let her go. She doesn't need to get hurt. No one needs to get hurt." Sean nodded.

"I told Thea this would happen." Austin said, "I told her. I said if she didn't give me what I wanted, bad things would happen. And what'd she do? She ran away? Split. Left you all to deal with her mess." He said, "Classic Thea."

"What do you want?" Sean asked, "Huh? What is it you want? You want to kill a pregnant woman? Is that what you set out to do tonight?" He asked.

"I set out to send a message." Austin nodded just as Punk and AJ appeared, coming down the steps.

"Oh my God." AJ gasped, "Phil." AJ panicked as she saw Jude in trouble. Punk immediately ran ahead.

"Yes, come join us. It's a big family gathering!" Austin yelled, "You came back to have more ribs broken?" He looked over at Punk.

"You let her go." Punk spat, "Right now."

"Then tell me where Thea is. Where can I find her?" Austin asked, "Don't think I won't pull this trigger." He warned as they all stood, feeling sick to their stomachs with nerves.

"Just put the gun down. This is only gonna end badly for you." Sean said as Jude opened her eyes back up. She saw her mother standing in the distance, her hands clasped over her mouth, shaking with fear. She saw Cassie standing with another cop she didn't know behind her. And she saw her boyfriend and father standing just a few footsteps away, looking the most worried she'd ever seen them look.

"You know I've heard all about this family." Austin nodded, waving his gun at them all, "Heard all about Phil Brooks. April Mendez." He said, "Popular for all the wrong reasons." He nodded, "Turns out your oldest daughter is scum just like you two were." He said, looking over at Punk, "Don't know much about these two though." He said, waving his gun back and forth from Jude and Cassie, "Remember Jackson?" He whispered to Jude who froze.

"Let her go!" Sean yelled.

"I remember Jackson!" Austin exclaimed, ignoring them, "He was a good guy." He nodded as Jude gulped, tears in her eyes ready to spill out, "Told me all about the fun night you and him had." He whispered in Jude's ear.

Jude felt like she couldn't breathe, like she was going to collapse, like there were invisible walls closing in on her right at this very moment.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you." Sean nodded.

"You know they said it was rape but… I mean… I just think she doesn't wanna admit she enjoyed it." He smirked, looking down at Jude in front of him.

Jude opened her eyes back up, noticing Cassie who was moving her head back in a gesture towards her. At first she couldn't really concentrate, but ten she realised what her sister was trying to do.

"Let her go, you bastard." Punk spat.

"I think everybody should just-" Austin couldn't finish his sentence as Jude snapped her head back as hard as she could which cracked off Austin's chin, stomping on his foot as he let go of her, giving her a second to escape as she ran ahead, almost falling over as Punk caught her.

"You're fucking dead." Sean spat, grabbing Austin as they began to wrestle around for the gun in Austin's hand.

"Go to your mom. Go." Punk nodded to Jude who ran down the boardwalk towards AJ, "Sean!" Punk watched wearily, nervous as he saw the gun being wrestled for between the two, punches and kicks being exchanged.

"Go stand back." Theo nudged Cassie.

"What? No." Cassie walked further towards Sean and Austin.

"Cassie, you can't… just go to your mom." Theo ordered, watching at the corner of his eye as he saw Austin get more possession of the gun, the trigger being pulled as a gunshot filled the air.

He grabbed Cassie, pulling her behind him as she fell over onto the ground, bumping her head as she rolled around onto her side, pausing as she saw Theo on the ground beside her.

"Theo." Cassie said, noticing he wasn't moving, "Theo." She crawled over to him, "Hey." She shook him a little, suddenly noticing the blood under him, "N-No…" She shook her head in disbelief, seeing his eyes opening and closing, "Theo." She shook him, trying to find the wound, heart beating rapidly. In that moment, nothing else around her even existed. She had blanked everyone out.

"Cassie." Theo managed to get out.

"Just… Just stay with me." Cassie shook her head, finding the wound which was unfortunately in the centre of his chest, where blood was uncontrollably spilling from.

"It's ok." He said in a faint voice which she could barely hear.

"No, it's fine just… just stay with me." Cassie nodded, keeping her hands heavily pressed on his chest, "Please don't…please." She begged hysterically.

She watched, in almost a sense of confusion as Theo's eyes shut over, this time not opening back up as she noticed his body going still.

"Theo." She cried, "No…" She shook her head, "No, please…" She began CPR on him as Punk stood behind her.

"Cassie." Punk placed his hand on her shoulder, "He's gone." He said as Cassie paused, looking on at Theo, turning her head as she saw Sean still in a battle with Austin.

She stumbled to her feet, taking her gun out from behind, tears running down her cheeks as she raised her gun, pulling the trigger directly at Austin who she shot down, watching him collapse onto the boardwalk as Sean stumbled back a little, looking over at Cassie.

She dropped her gun, slowly turning around and collapsing back down onto the ground beside Theo, sitting with her legs in front of her as she lifted him into her arms.

Sean looked over at Punk who shook his head, putting his hand up, making it clear to not go near Cassie. Punk looked over at Jude and AJ who were still in an embrace.

"I really liked you." Cassie whispered, leaning her head against Theo's as Punk looked over, a tear running down his cheek as Sean crouched down, placing his hands over his face whilst cop cars began to pull up at the docks.


	22. Blame

**Blame**

* * *

"Cassie." Punk said, standing in the car park amongst all the cop cars.

"Cassie." He repeated, looking on at his daughter who was standing staring at nothing, "Cass." He said a little louder as she turned to him, coming out of her trance.

"What?" Cassie looked at him.

"Are you… Are you ok?" Punk shook his head. In amongst so much chaos, the fear and the panic the night had brought them all, a life had been lost and he could see that life really meant something to Cassie. And his heart broke watching hers break.

"No, I'm not." Cassie said honestly. She was in shock. She wouldn't quite believe it yet. She kept expecting Theo to walk towards her, she was begging for it.

"I know you worked close with him and… I'm sorry-"

"He was my friend." Cassie whispered to herself as Punk watched her, "He was my friend." She told him as he nodded.

"I'm sorry." Punk nodded as she looked at him. He could see she was in shock, staring into space, barely saying anything. He wasn't under the impression that his daughter was friends with Theo. In fact, he was under the impression they didn't get along, going by things Cassie had said in the past, but he supposed he didn't know anything and regardless, an innocent young man's life had been taken tonight by the hands of another bad man the world had to offer them.

"I need to go talk to Jake." Cassie mumbled, walking away from him into the crowd of cops as he sighed to himself, running his hands over his face, walking over to the side where AJ was standing with Jude.

"You guys ok?" Punk sighed as they both nodded, "You ok?" He asked Jude, wrapping his arm around her as she hugged into him.

"Is Cassie ok?" Jude asked, "She seems really upset."

"Yeah well it was… it was someone she worked with every day." Punk nodded. None of them were under the impression that there had been anything else had been going on with Cassie and Theo.

"I should never have called her." Jude sighed to herself, "I shouldn't have got her involved. He told me to and I… I was scared-"

"Shh, it's ok." Punk sighed to himself, kissing her head and hugging her tightly as AJ rubbed Jude's back.

"You're ok, sweetie." AJ sighed, looking over and noticing Sean standing over by the wall on his own, "Phil." AJ got his attention, nodding over to Sean as Punk turned around, nodding to himself.

"Why don't you two go wait in the car. It's freezing outside." Punk nodded.

"Where's Sean?" Jude worried, looking around, still in a daze from the very stressful night she'd had.

"He's probably just talking to some other cops. Come on." AJ guided Jude away towards their car whilst Punk headed over to Sean who was standing by his own.

"Hey." Punk nodded to him as Sean looked up.

"Hey." Sean said.

"You ok?" Punk patted him on the arm as Sean nodded.

"Theo was a good guy." Sean nodded, "I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have went for Austin. That's not cop protocol. I shouldn't have done that-"

"He had a gun against Jude's head. No one is gonna blame you." Punk nodded as Sean sighed to himself.

"I didn't… I didn't even know what to do." Sean shook his head, still feeling extremely shook up after seeing his girlfriend, and the mother of his unborn baby in such danger like that, "I've never felt like that before." He shook his head as Punk nodded.

"I know the feeling." Punk understood as Sean sighed to himself, "It wasn't supposed to come to this." He shook his head with anger, "Jake told me they were keeping tabs… I thought these guys were gonna be arrested soon."

"Yeah well so did I." Sean nodded, "Welcome to how cops operate." He nodded to Punk, "It's not always in our control." He said as Punk nodded. He knew that at this point.

"Yeah, I get it." Punk nodded.

"And all this guy wanted was Thea." Sean nodded to himself, "Jude had a gun against her head for her-"

"Sean." Punk sighed.

"I'm not wrong." Sean said, "And you know I'm not." He said as Punk looked across at him.

"This isn't Thea's fault-"

"Yeah well how come she's safe in a different state? Cops supervising her and we're here with this shit." He looked around at the cops everywhere as Punk put his hands on his hips and sighed.

"Blaming Thea won't help anything right now." Punk assured him, "Jude is with April in the car. I think you need to take her home. Be there for one another right now."

"Yeah, fuck this bullshit." Sean shook his head, walking by Punk and heading over to the car where Jude was as Punk sighed to himself.

He ran his hand through his hair, looking over at Cassie who was talking to Jake. He assumed she no doubt would be evaluated and assessed after shooting Austin, but she didn't evens seem phased by it. She just appeared to be on another planet right now, and he didn't blame her. He just didn't know how much she really was hurting, because she held everything close to her chest.

* * *

"You ok?" Punk asked, getting home later on with AJ.

"Yeah, I guess." AJ shook her head tiredly as Punk threw the car keys in the pot at the door, "You?" She asked him, walking through to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I guess." He repeated after, "I just hope Jude is ok. After… After what was said tonight-"

"Yeah, don't… don't make me think about it." AJ shook her head as he nodded, "Where is Cassie?"

"She had to stay and talk to Jake." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I hope you're smartened up." AJ looked across at him.

"What do you mean?" Punk shook his head.

"Cassie." AJ said, "And that boy. Theo." She said as Punk looked across at her, "I know a broken heart when I see one." She said as he looked at her with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Punk shook his head.

"Oh, Phil. Use your head." AJ shook her head with frustration, "She liked him."

"No… she always said he was mean to her." Punk shook his head. The thought didn't even enter his mind. Cassie was a lot harder to get through to than Thea and Jude. She was distant. She kept things to herself. Feelings more so than anything else.

"She liked him." AJ nodded, "And I don't know what was going on between them. But I watched her tonight. She's… she's twenty-one years old." She shook her head, "And she just had to watch someone die like that." She shook her head with anger, "I am sick… sick of my daughter's getting hurt." She shook her head.

"April." Punk sighed.

"No, I am. I'm sick of it." AJ said, "What next? Who is next? Me and you?" She asked as he looked across at her.

"You're upset-"

"Damn right I'm upset." AJ agreed, "And I'm sick and tired of watching my daughter's cry and suffer. All three of them." She shook her head, taking a loud deep breath as a lump got caught in her throat, placing her hand on one of the kitchen chairs as Punk watched her.

"I know… I know." Punk understood, "I get it." He said as she breathed out a loud cry, placing her hands over her face as her shoulders shook, "April." He sighed, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her tightly.

* * *

"There's a lot of paper work that goes on when an officer kills on duty. You'll also have to go through a psychiatric evaluation. It's just… standard procedure." Jake explained to Cassie, walking back into the station, "There will always be an interview that takes place with a panel. It sounds scarier than what it is but… until it's all cleared up I… well you need to take a leave of absence."

"What? No… I need to be here." Cassie shook her head.

"You can't. And we have to take your gun and badge for just now." Jake said.

"What?" Cassie looked up at him, "Why?" She worried.

"Cassie, we're not firing you. It's just procedure. Ask any cop who has… taken life on duty. You gotta go through the process. Until then, you gotta take some time off." He nodded, "I think you might need it. You're just a kid-"

"I'm not a kid." Cassie warned as he nodded.

"Well you're definitely inexperienced to have gone through what you did tonight." Jake said, "And we lost one of our own. And Theo was your partner. Just… take the time off." He nodded as Cassie sighed to herself.

"He… jumped in front of me." Cassie shook her head, "Should have been me."

"He was a brave cop. But… it shouldn't have been anyone. Bottom line." Jake said, "Sometimes this happens. Things don't go to plan. This is what being a cop is-"

"No, being a cop is preventing what happened tonight from happening. You were supposed to be keeping tabs on this guy." Cassie said, "You were supposed to make a move sooner. And you waited… you waited because you were greedy and you wanted all of them at once but you should have just moved when you could!" She yelled as some people turned around.

"Cassie, you're upset-"

"No! No, it was your job to stop this!" Cassie cried, "What are you all looking at?!" She screamed as everyone turned away.

"Cassie, you need to go home." Jake nodded. He wasn't taking anything she said to heart, "Go get your things and… go look after yourself. I'll check in on you. I'll keep in touch." He nodded to her.

"He shouldn't be dead." Cassie cried as Jake looked at her.

"He thought you were great. Told me you'd be a captain in no time." He nodded to her as she dried her tears.

"Well he… he taught me a lot." Cassie nodded, drying her tears as Jake nodded.

"You taught him a lot too." Jake smiled softly, "Go on. Get yourself home." He said, rubbing her am softly before walking off to his office, officers coming to and from the station, being a busy night for them and all.

Cassie ran her hand through her hair, sighing to herself as she walked through to the back of the station, walking over to Theo's desk, noticing the gift basket still sitting, tears permanently in her eyes as she walked over to it.

She looked at the unfinished paper work he had sitting on his desk, picking it up and promising herself she would finish it for him. She then noticed the bear sitting beside the gift basket which he'd given to her earlier on, picking it up and holding it against her chest, tears pouring down her cheeks. She missed him.

* * *

Punk sat at the kitchen table, knowing there was no chance at him sleeping, drinking a coffee and waiting on Cassie coming home which she eventually did at 3am.

"Cass?" He called, listening as she came into the kitchen, "Hey." He nodded to her.

"Hi." Cassie said, "Where is mom?" She asked him.

"In bed." Punk nodded, "How… How did things go with Jake? What's happening?"

"Well I have to take a leave of absence until they review it all." Cassie nodded, "Had to hand in my gun and badge." She shrugged, "And I will also be psych evaluated." She nodded to herself as he sighed.

"I'm sorry." Punk shook his head, "You'll… you'll be back in no time." He nodded.

"Yeah, well… that's that." She nodded as he looked at her. He wanted to ask, but he also wanted to respect what she chose to tell him, but he also wanted to comfort her, "I'm gonna… go try and sleep-"

"Cassie." Punk stood up as she looked across at him, "About Theo…" He said as she looked at him.

"What about him?" Cassie looked at him as he sighed to himself.

"I'm… so sorry." He nodded as she looked across at him, "I'm sorry you had to see that and I'm sorry that… you lost someone close to you." He said. He figured if he couldn't say what he literally wanted to say, he'd get it across somehow.

"Do you want to ask me something?" Cassie looked at him bluntly.

"N-No… no, I just-"

"He was my friend." Cassie nodded, "And I really cared about him." She said as he nodded, "And he shouldn't be dead." She said.

"I know." Punk said, "I'm sorry."

"You can call Thea." Cassie said, "Tell her we cleaned up her mess." She spat, "Even if Jude and Sean almost got killed and an innocent life was taken."

"Cassie-"

"I'm going to bed." Cassie nodded, walking out of the kitchen and heading upstairs as Punk sat back down at the kitchen table, placing his hands over his face.


	23. Welcome Home

**Welcome Home**

* * *

"Cassie." AJ knocked on Cassie's room door the next morning, walking in slowly where she saw her daughter lying in bed, not doing anything, just lying there wide awake.

"Hey." Cassie said quietly.

"Hey." AJ smiled, walking into the room, "How you feeling?" She asked. She knew it was a dumb question but it was habit of asking.

"I don't really know." Cassie said as AJ walked over to her bed, sitting down on the edge of it, "Don't really know what I feel."

"You know you can talk to me about anything." AJ said, brushing her hand through Cassie's hair.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said, "Doesn't mean I want to." She reminded her.

"I know but… I just want you to know." AJ nodded, cupping her cheek softly.

"They're making me take a leave of absence." Cassie said as AJ nodded.

"Your dad told me. It's… it's probably for the best right now. You weren't supposed to be in a position like that last night-"

"Is anyone?" Cassie questioned.

"You know what I mean." AJ said, "It was… a lot. And you need to rehab your mind for a little bit." She nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose." Cassie agreed.

"I'm so sorry about Theo." AJ shook her head as she looked up at her mother, "Momma knows everything." She reminded Cassie, "You liked him?" She nodded, already knowing she did.

"Yeah. I think I did." Cassie said, "I guess I was… still trying to figure it out but… doesn't matter anymore." She shook her head, still in disbelief, "He was a good friend."

"You should never have had to see that." AJ sighed to herself.

"Yeah cause you know me, never saw violence in my life before." Cassie said sarcastically.

"You know what I mean." AJ said as Cassie nodded.

"I just can't believe he's gone." Cassie shook her head. She'd barely slept. She couldn't stop thinking about Theo. He was the first guy she'd ever met that made her rethink things. Rethink how she saw people and relationships.

"Did he… did he know how you felt?" AJ asked her.

"No." Cassie shook her head, "I wish I could have told him that I was… I was trying to figure out. And I wish I could have figured it out faster for him." She said, "But then maybe it would have hurt more." She shrugged, "But this kinda hurts right now." She nodded painfully.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" AJ sighed, her heart aching to see her daughter like this.

"No, I think I just want to be on my own right now." Cassie said as AJ nodded.

"Ok, baby." AJ sighed, rubbing her arm softly, "What about some breakfast?" She asked, just trying to do the motherly thing.

"No, I'm ok." Cassie nodded.

"Ok." AJ sighed, getting up and leaving the room, turning back and watching as Cassie pulled the duvet over herself.

She closed the door over and headed downstairs, walking into the kitchen where Punk, Jude and Sean were.

"How is she?" Jude asked, sitting at the table.

"She's… ok." AJ shrugged, "She just wants to be on her own right now." She nodded.

"I heard they're making her take a leave of absence." Sean said as they nodded, "Honestly, it'll be the best thing for her. She'll need a break after that." He nodded, "She probably won't see it like that but… it's necessary."

"Yeah, I think so." AJ nodded, "How are you guys? Sleep much?"

"Not really." Jude shook her head, "I uh… I was actually at the hospital."

"What?" Punk turned around, "Why?"

"What's wrong?" AJ asked.

"Nothing is wrong." Jude said right away, "I just… well I had a… bit of a panic attack." She nodded, "We got home and I think it all hit me. Felt like I couldn't breathe. I felt like I did when…" She paused, "You know…" She shook her head as they nodded, "Sean got worried and just took me to the hospital."

"Is the baby ok?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, she's fine." Jude nodded, "I didn't know if panic attacks can affect babies or whatever but… she's all good." She smiled.

"And you? Are you ok?" Punk sighed.

"I guess." Jude nodded, "It was just a lot to take in." She shook her head, "Thought I was having a heart attack." She rolled her eyes as Punk nodded.

"It's not a good feeling, right?" He understood.

"No, not really." Jude shook her head, "But I'm ok." She assured them, "Sean is gonna take some time off work for a couple weeks. And I've found some substitutes to come in and teach my classes for the time being." She nodded, "I think we both need a break."

"I think so too." AJ agreed.

"How long will Cassie be out for?" Jude wondered, turning to Sean for his knowledge.

"Could be up to a month. Depends how long the review will take." Sean said, "She'll be psych evaluated too and interviewed about it all. Plus since she's a rookie it might be taken more seriously." He nodded.

"She was brave." Jude said.

"Yeah well Theo was a good cop and he… he taught her a lot." Sean smiled, "The head snap was his thing." Sean remembered fondly, "I don't want you guys to say anything in case it upsets her but… he really liked her." Sean nodded.

"What?" Jude shook her head, "Theo?"

"Yeah." Sean said.

"Yeah, we figured." AJ nodded, "I think she liked him too." She sighed.

"What?" Jude frowned, tears rising to her eyes as AJ sighed to herself, "Were they together?"

"I don't know. I just know he really liked her. A lot." Sean nodded as Jude ran her hands over her face.

"Look, it seems to me that whatever was going on with Cassie and Theo, it was private." Punk said, "It was private to Cassie, private for both of them. So unless she tells us and talks about it with us, let it be hers on her own." Punk said as Jude nodded, letting out a loud sigh of sadness.

"Cops should have been more on top of things." Sean shook his head with disappointment, "I should have sped it up. This is my family." He insisted.

"This isn't therapy hour where we all discuss the things we should have done." Punk reminded them all, "It's no one's fault." He emphasised, "It's another rotten scumbag who wormed into a half ass plan that didn't go his way. Not fully." He said, "And now he's gone."

"Hey!" Thea walked into the house as they all lifted their heads and looked at each other, "I got here as quick as I could." She ran down towards the kitchen, relieved to finally be able to see her family.

"Oh, hi baby." AJ smiled with relief, wrapping her arms around Thea tightly as Thea hugged her.

"Hi mom." Thea said gratefully, squeezing her tightly, "Dad." She sighed, hugging into her father.

"You ok?" Punk asked her, kissing her head.

"Yeah… I drove ahead and Dominic is gonna come with the kids later." She explained frantically, "Jude." She sighed as Jude stood up to give her sister a hug.

"Hey." Jude said.

"Are you ok?" Thea asked tearfully, "I'm so sorry." She shook her head, cupping the back of Jude's head, "Are you ok? Is the baby ok?"

"Yeah, we're ok." Jude nodded to her.

"You've gotten so big." Thea smiled, feeling her bump as Jude nodded with a smile. She'd missed her big sister so much, but she was still in a daze from the chaotic previous night. A lot was still running through her mind. All of their minds.

They all turned their heads when they noticed Cassie walking into the kitchen, pausing as she looked over at Thea.

"Hey." Thea said, walking over to Cassie to give her a hug, only to a receive a stinging slap on the face.

"Cassie!" AJ gasped.

"That's enough." Punk warned as Thea held her cheek, slowly turn around to Cassie who glared up at her.

"This is your fault." Cassie nodded, "Where the hell were you last night? Huh?"

"Cassie, let's not do this." Punk nodded.

"No, let's." Cassie nodded, "You fucked off and left us all here to deal with your crap. Jude had a gun against her head!" She exclaimed as Thea looked at her littlest sister, who somehow didn't seem so little at all anymore.

"Cassie…" Thea sighed.

"I lost a friend." Cassie said, "Who had nothing to do with any of this." She said, "You left us with this mess. Dad got beaten up. His ribs are still broken. Jude could have died!" Cassie emphasised, "All because your crackhead days caught up with you-"

"Cassie." AJ warned.

"No… no, she needs to hear this. Everyone tiptoes around her like she's a timebomb." Cassie said as Thea watched her, "This was your mess to fix. This was your mistakes that somehow we all got dragged down into." She said, "All because you wanted to snort some cocaine and feel sorry for yourself-"

"Why are you doing this?" Thea asked quietly, trying not to take what her sister was saying to heart.

"Because you need to hear it." Cassie spat angrily, "Because no one else will say it. These two won't tell you how much of a fuck up you were." She pointed to AJ and Punk, "And I'm pretty sure Jude is still scared of you from the way you would treat her when you were drunk or high." She said as Thea turned to Jude who just shook her head to her.

"Cassie you need to calm down." Jude advised.

"Oh, please. I'm just saying what we're all thinking. We wouldn't have been in this mess if it wasn't for you and your disgusting past." She nodded to Thea.

"I couldn't come back. I would have if I could." Thea said, "I didn't want any of this to happen. Don't you think I feel guilty about it?"

"Good. You should." Cassie spat.

"Cassie, I think you need to calm down." Punk advised.

"No… no, I don't. You two don't even know what she was really like." Cassie said.

"Yes, I was there, Cassie. This is not your sister's fault." AJ made clear, looking over at Thea who for once… was speechless.

"No, you don't know what she was really like." Cassie said, "Do you know she used to steal Jude's lunch money for cocaine?" She asked them as AJ looked over at Jude who sat quietly.

"Why are you doing this?!" Thea gritted her teeth.

"And did you know she was arrested for shoplifting alcohol?" Cassie asked as AJ looked over at Thea.

"Cassie, stop it." Jude shook her head.

"You're horrible." Thea shook her head, looking at Cassie who seemed to have snapped.

"Oh and Sam took her for an abortion when she was seventeen." Cassie nodded as Thea looked across at her, eyebrows raising as her heart sank a little.

"What?" AJ shook her head as Punk looked over at Thea.

"How do you know that?" Thea looked at her with teary eyes.

"Sam is a drunk. She talks." Cassie said, "Congratulations, you can move back home now. We cleaned up your shit." She nodded, "Just do me a favour and don't come near me." She said, walking out of the kitchen.

Thea gulped, turning around and looking at her family who were all staring at her. She wasn't really sure if she deserved that or not, she was slightly taken back by everything that had just been said.


	24. Not Your Fault

**Not Your Fault**

* * *

"Why are you all staring at me?" Thea mumbled, looking over at her family who weren't saying anything, not really knowing what to say.

"Your sister is… she's just upset." AJ nodded, looking over at Thea, "She didn't mean any of that." She said as Thea looked down, feeling pretty humiliated and exposed. She loved and trusted her family, but there were certain things she wished could remain private, things she tried to forget about and move on from.

"Sounded like she did." Thea said, looking over at her mom and dad who were just looking at her. She knew they wanted to ask, but the good parents in there were probably trying to avoid it.

"Thea, she was really close to the cop who died last night." Jude added, "She is really upset. Don't… Don't take anything that she said to heart-"

"Yeah well… it's not like she was lying." Thea shrugged, "I ran away and left you all with this. It's… It's all my fault." She nodded.

"It's not your fault." Punk shook his head, "You didn't put any of us in danger. No one blames you." He nodded to her as she rubbed her forehead.

"You guys don't have to say it. I can see by the looks on your faces that you all know that this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me and… my habits." She nodded.

"You were protecting your family." AJ said, "We get that." She assured her, "You didn't do anything wrong." AJ assured her.

"It's not your fault, Thea." Jude shook her head whilst Sean sat quietly beside her, choosing not to say anything.

"I should have stayed. I should have been the one dealing with it. I let you get hurt." She looked at her dad, "And… I put you in danger." She turned to Jude, "And Cassie looks like she wants to kill me." Thea nodded to herself.

"No, she's just… she's upset." AJ shook her head, looking across at Thea. She didn't want her eldest daughter to feel responsible for this.

"I mean… what did you expect was going to happen?" Sean looked over at Thea, "Did you think you'd run away to another state and that would be it sorted? Fixed?" Sean asked as Thea looked at him, "Surely, with the parents you have, you should know that these types of people don't go away. Not until someone is dead or they have money. That's how they work." He said.

"Sean." Jude placed her hand on his arm to calm him down.

"You think this is my fault?" Thea asked him.

"I don't think it. It is your fault. You left your dad to go to the cops and deal with it. I had to watch Jude have a gun against her head!" Sean stood up angrily as Jude placed her hand over her forehead, "She's seven months pregnant. She spent all night in the ER having panic attacks, throwing up, crying." Sean said.

"Sean." Punk shook his head.

"No…. no no no, she needs to hear it." Sean said, "You had to have known that if you left town, we'd all be in trouble. But you did it anyway. You never told anyone and why? It's not like we all don't know about your past addictions."

"I didn't want anyone to worry." Thea shook her head. She'd never felt more unwelcomed by her own family before. If she didn't feel guilty and worried before, now she just felt like the worst human being alive.

"We know that." AJ nodded, "We told you to stay in Milwaukee. You couldn't have done anything to stop this. It's ok." AJ assured her.

"Why are you sugar coating this?" Sean asked AJ, "She got us in this mess-"

"Yeah and this is a family." AJ looked across at Sean, "And we don't blame anyone for anything."

"Yeah? Well she was the first to blame her dad for everything she went through." Sean turned to Thea as Punk looked over.

"Ok, Sean that's enough." Jude stood up, "Let's just go home." She shook her head, scared her boyfriend would say any more, "Go out to the car." She said as Sean walked by Thea and left the house, "He's just upset. It's been a long night and morning." She explained to her sister.

"Do you blame me for this?" Thea asked Jude who looked across at her.

"No." Jude shook her head, "I don't blame you." She assured her, turning to her parents, "I'll see you guys later." She nodded to them.

"Bye, sweetie." AJ sighed, watching as Jude walked out of the kitchen and left the house, leaving Thea in the kitchen with AJ and Punk.

"I uh… I think I might just call Dominic and tell him to stay in Milwaukee." Thea nodded, quickly drying tears from her eyes, in hopes her parents wouldn't see, "I'll just drive back up."

"Why?" Punk asked, "You should stay. Be there for your sisters-"

"They don't wanna be around me, that's very clear." Thea shook her head, "Sean is right. I should have known you guys would be in trouble and… I just left." She shook her head. It was confusing to her now that she never would have thought about the safety of her family. She felt disgusted with herself, way more than she ever had before.

"Thea, this is not your fault and I can't keep saying it." Punk made clear, "You left and… you were protecting your family. You didn't know these guys were gonna target us next. It was safer for you to stay in Milwaukee. Your safety isn't any less important as Cassie and Jude's. You did the right thing by staying. We dealt with it. It's… it's over." He said, "Everyone just needs a bit of space."

"Space from me." Thea nodded, "I should have known better. All I've ever did is bring everyone else down with me." She said, "Jude and Cassie."

"No you haven't." AJ shook her head.

"I did used to steal Jude's lunch money." Thea nodded to them, "And when she found out I was, she started…" She paused, feeling a lump in her throat, "She started sliding it through the bottom of my bedroom door." She said, tears rolling down her cheeks, "She was just a kid."

"Baby, you weren't well." AJ said, "You needed help. We… No one judges you for any of that." AJ made clear, "We both know what it's like to have made mistakes and have them catch up to you." She said, "It can weigh you down, and you… you feel like everything is your fault." She said, turning to Punk who nodded in agreement, "But it gets better and you realise that you were only trying to do the right thing."

"You both have to say that. You're my parents." Thea shook her head.

"If you had done anything wrong, we'd let you know." Punk made clear, "You haven't. Your sisters have both had… a rough night. They're upset-"

"And it's because of me." Thea shook her head. There was no way for her to think of it as anything other than her own fault. Her own fault for moving and leaving things up in the air. Her own fault for expecting her family to be safe when they were clearly in danger. She thought she'd come to terms with it being out of control but now… now it was clearer than ever that all of this was because of her.

"It's not." Punk said, "You have any idea how much I hated myself after Rio took your mom and Cassie years ago. I blamed myself. I told myself I shouldn't have left them in the house themselves but then… then I realised that it was out of my control and I couldn't do anything about it." He said as Thea shook her head.

"I should just go." Thea shook her head, drying her tears as AJ sighed to herself.

"Please don't. You've just got here. And we wanna see Sofia and James." AJ smiled, "And Dominic. You should all be here-"

"I don't think anyone really wants me here right now." Thea shook her head, "I'm just gonna go." She said, escaping out of the kitchen as AJ sighed.

"Thea, wait." AJ sighed, running after her whilst Punk stood in the kitchen sighing to himself.

"What?" Thea sighed, turning to her.

"I…" AJ paused, wondering if she should even bring it up, "Did you…" She looked at Thea, "Did you have an abortion?" She shook her head as Thea looked at her.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "I did."

"Why didn't you tell me?" AJ shook her head, "Why-Why did you go to Sam? I was right here." She said, hurt and confused.

"Because you had your teenage pregnancy. And I saw how badly she turned out." Thea nodded as AJ looked at her, hurt.

"Thea." AJ shook her head, her heart hurting as she watched Thea dry her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Thea shook her head, opening up the door and leaving the house as AJ took a deep breath, running her hands through her hair and wandering back into the kitchen where Punk was sitting.

"That was a lot." Punk nodded to himself as AJ sighed to herself, sitting down across from him, "I don't think I've ever saw Cassie like that." He admitted.

"Yeah, me neither." AJ sighed, "I'm gonna kill your mother." She shook her head.

"I don't feel like that's my business." Punk shook his head.

"She was seventeen, Phil. We're her parents. We…. I deserved to know. I… I should have taken her. I should have been there with her. Not Sam." AJ shook her head.

"Maybe she was just scared to tell you." Punk shrugged tiredly, "I don't want her blaming herself for this. Guilt is a fucking illness and it can… it can mess you up." He said, "This was out of her hands. Even if she was here, the same thing probably would have happened." He said as AJ nodded. There was no pointing the finger at anyone, especially not towards any of their daughters.

"Cassie is just really upset right now. And Sean too. He's worried about Jude. They've all been through it. I think we all just need a bit of space." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"I'm gonna go check on Cassie." Punk nodded, standing up from the table and leaving the kitchen whilst AJ sat in her own thoughts.

Punk made his way upstairs, knocking on Cassie's bedroom door, walking in where he saw her sitting on her bed watching TV.

"Hey." Punk said.

"Hey." Cassie said, "I'm not apologising." She made clear.

"I didn't ask you to." Punk assured her, "I know you're hurting right now."

"That's not why I said what I said. She needs to hear it. No one else is gonna tell her. You all tiptoe around her-"

"You might not think it, Cassie, but your sister is sensitive-"

"Please." Cassie shook her head.

"She is. She takes things to heart. The only problem is, she does it quietly. Kinda like you." He said.

"I am not like her." Cassie said.

"Cass, this wasn't her fault. This was out of her control. If she was here it still would have ended the same or worse, it could have ended with Thea getting hurt." Punk said, "It's a shitty situation. I know. But it's not Thea's fault."

"If she hadn't been such an idiot when she was younger, everything would have been fine." Cassie said.

"It's hard not to be an idiot when you're young." Punk nodded.

"Yeah? Well me and Jude did just fine." Cassie said.

"She had a rough time, Cassie. You gotta… you gotta give her a break. It's addiction. You don't choose it." Punk said, "And bringing up things that your sister did or has done to… to hurt her like that isn't cool." He said.

"Can you just get out?" Cassie asked as Punk looked across at her.

"I know it's rough-"

"No, you don't." Cassie spat, "Theo was a good person. And he helped me. He was nice to me. He didn't care that… that this family is so fucked up. He didn't go looking into all your files. He was good and kind." She shook her head, "And he didn't deserve to die like that." She said. It was incredibly hard for her to come to terms with him being gone, especially when she was just trying to figure out how she really felt about him.

"I know he didn't." Punk said, looking across at her, "Everything he taught you, you've got that with you forever." He reminded her as she looked across at him.

"Things just don't feel the same." Cassie shook her head as Punk sighed to himself.

"Wasn't just a friend, was he?" Punk figured. He was no dummy.

He took her silence as agreement as he walked over, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "Come here." He nodded as she sighed, rolling her teary eyes, "Just come here." He nodded as she leaned over, hugging into him as he kissed her head, staying in an embrace for as long as she needed.


	25. Disconnect

**Disconnect**

* * *

"Oh, look. It's my favourite son and daughter-in-law." Sam smiled, opening up the door to her house where AJ and Punk stood, "Don't get it confused, though. I say that to Dean and Renee when I see them too." She said, walking off into her house.

"I don't know why we're bothering with this." Punk shook his head, following AJ into the house.

"Because I'd like to know what happened." AJ said, walking on through to the kitchen as Punk closed the door behind him.

"Mom, it stinks of weed in here." Punk placed his t-shirt up over his nose. Going into his childhood home really wasn't his favourite thing. It brought back a lot of terrible memories he didn't enjoy thinking about.

"Well then why are you here?" Sam asked, lighting up a cigarette.

"Well we know about Thea." AJ said, "You taking her for an abortion." She nodded as Sam looked across at them.

"Shit… did I blab to someone?" Sam asked them.

"Yeah, Cassie." Punk said, "That… doesn't matter, though." He said.

"I want to know why Thea didn't come to me." AJ said, "Why did she come to you?" She asked as Sam looked across at her. It did bother her. Her pride as a mother was hurting her more than anything. She wanted to have been there for her daughter, and was sad that she chose to go to Sam instead of her.

"Oh, April. She was a little girl. She didn't know what to do or who to go to." Sam said, "She was actually planning to go herself, until the… clinic told her that a parent or carer had to come collect her." She said as AJ sighed to herself.

"Well what happened? What did she say to you?" AJ asked.

"She showed up here one night. Told me she had stolen a pregnancy test from a store and it was positive. I sat her down, told her what she could do about it." Sam nodded, "She said she wasn't gonna have it and I said… ok, abortion it is." She shrugged.

"You're the most insensitive person I've ever known in my life." Punk nodded to her.

"Yeah well it made you and Dean strong kids so… I don't worry about it too much." Sam said as Punk shook his head.

"That's what you said? Abortion it is?" AJ asked.

"Oh, April don't pretend you're pro-life." Sam chuckled, "You were gonna have Thea aborted if this idiot stayed around dealing drugs."

"Please tell me you didn't tell her that." AJ said.

"I did." Sam shrugged as AJ placed her hands over face.

"This isn't about the actual abortion. I… I don't care about that. It's not something anyone should be shamed for. Hell, we… we didn't even need to know she had one but… I'm just upset she never told me, that's all." AJ made clear as Sam nodded.

"She didn't want to tell you because she thought you'd be disappointed, and she also thought you would have made her go tell him in prison." She nodded to Punk.

"Why am I always the big bad wolf in these situations?" Punk folded his arms.

"Why would she think I'd be disappointed?" AJ shook her head.

"I don't know, April. Because she's your daughter and cares what you think." Sam nodded, "She was in a right mess. She didn't even know who the father was." She emphasised as Punk shook his head.

"Ok, I feel uncomfortable now." Punk nodded, "So I'm gonna go wait in the car." He said, walking out of the kitchen and leaving the house.

"Was she ok? Did everything go ok?" AJ asked. All she was interested in was her daughter's safety and her health. Nothing about her choices or decision was the issue here.

"I mean… she was a seventeen year old having an abortion. It went ok as it could have went." Sam said, "I waited in the waiting room at the clinic, it didn't take long, then I took her home with me." She said.

"Did I make it hard for her?" AJ questioned, "Was I not approachable."

"I think it had more to do with her than it did with you." Sam said, "Unlike you or I, she has a good mom, she was just scared of letting you down-"

"She could never let me down. Certainly not because of something like this." AJ shook her head.

"I didn't tell her what to do but I did… give her some advice." Sam nodded, "I know… shocker. Me giving advice?" She shook her head, "I told her how difficult it was for me. For you." She said, "I know you remember what it was like. In that apartment on your own with a baby. Feeling alone and… lost." She said, "If there was someone I had close to me that could have guided me and told me my options when I was pregnant at sixteen… maybe my life would be different."

"Glad Phil isn't here to hear that." AJ scoffed.

"Phil knows how I feel." Sam nodded, "He's used to it by now." She said, "I just couldn't handle being a mom. You could." She said.

"I didn't want my kids to have the life I did… And you know what, it's all starting to come pretty close." She shook her head as Sam folded her arms.

"You're a good mom, April." Sam shook her head, "You've been doing it for thirty plus years." She smiled.

"And I think it's getting harder." AJ sighed to herself as Sam looked across at her.

"Thea did what she had to do. She made her decision. It's no one's business. Not mine. Not yours." Sam nodded, "She wasn't in a good place back then."

"Yeah, I know." AJ assured her, "I just… didn't know this."

"You didn't have to." Sam said, "It doesn't change anything. I think she came to me because I'm… such a mess too, if that makes you feel any better." She said.

"It doesn't really." AJ shrugged, "You know for… being such a mess, you've always been there for her." She said.

"Yeah well… she's my pal." Sam teased as AJ smiled a little, "How is everyone doing? I heard about what happened."

"It's not great but… we'll get through it. We always do." AJ nodded, "Somehow." She sighed to herself.

"How's Phil doing? He's… strangely quiet." Sam noticed.

"He's just worried about the girls." AJ said as Sam nodded, "They're all suffering in their own ways." She said as Sam nodded.

"Yeah but there's good to come after it. There always is." Sam nodded.

"Hard to see it like that right now." AJ said, "I should get going." She nodded, looking over at Sam, "Thank you for being there for her." She nodded.

"No need to thank me." Sam said, "She's a brave girl." She nodded.

"She is." AJ knew that.

* * *

"_What are you doing here?" Sam asked, on the way out of her house as she saw seventeen year old Thea appearing, "I'm going out. I need a drink, desperately."_

"_Uh… I… I need to talk to you." Thea nodded to her._

"_Babe, can it wait? I'm gasping here." Sam chuckled, walking past Thea._

"_I'm pregnant." Thea said as Sam stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around, "I uh… I don't really know who to go to." She admitted truthfully._

"_I never knew teenage pregnancy was genetic." Sam shook her head, walking past Thea and back into her house as Thea followed anxiously, "Get in." She nodded as Thea walked into the house, "Go through to the kitchen." Sam nodded as Thea walked on through to the kitchen._

"_Sit down." Sam nodded as Thea sat down nervously, not saying much of anything, "Why are you not on the pill?" She questioned._

"_I uh… I had to come off it. I was getting headaches." She explained._

"_Really? You sure it wasn't just the hangovers?" Sam raised a brow._

"_Are you really gonna lecture me?" Thea asked, "You? Who spends her entire days drinking."_

"_Yeah, I am gonna lecture you, Thea. You're seventeen. You're bright and you have a whole future ahead of you and look what you're doing-"_

"_Well I didn't mean it obviously." Thea rolled her eyes._

"_Your mom should know about this. And what about Jackson? Does he know?" Sam asked her, sitting down at the kitchen table._

"_N-No… I… I don't know if it's his." Thea mumbled as Sam looked across at her, "I've been with… a couple guys-"_

"_Thea." Sam looked at her with concern, "What the hell are you doing? What's gotten into you?"_

"_I'm just… I was having fun. Everyone does it." Thea said._

"_And now look what happened." Sam said, "Your mom should know about this."_

"_No… no, please. I don't wanna tell her. She… She's dealing with enough right now. She doesn't need this in her life."_

"_You're her daughter. She should know about this." Sam said._

"_Well… maybe there isn't anything to know about." Thea said as Sam looked across at her, "I don't want this baby." She said, horrified at the thought of it._

"_Can you imagine? Your dad gets out of prison in a couple years and he has a grandchild?" Sam gasped with wonder, "I'd enjoy seeing his face." She thought to herself._

"_Sam." Thea put her hands up, "Hello." She shook her head._

"_Hi." Sam smiled as Thea sighed to herself, "Ok, babe what are you feeling? What do you want to do?"_

"_I'm not having this baby." Thea made clear. She just knew she wasn't. She wasn't going to make herself feel bad and pressure herself into having it. She knew what was best for her, despite her age and lack of maturity._

"_So… abortion?" Sam nodded as Thea looked across at her, "Look… I know what it's like to have a baby when you shouldn't have. In fact, I know what it's like to have two babies when you shouldn't have." She said, "It can change you, not for the good. And hey, maybe I'm just a terrible mom and it had nothing to do with age but if… if I had someone with me when I got pregnant, to tell me my options and to let me know that it was ok if I couldn't go through with it… maybe my life would be different." She said as Thea looked across at her, "There shouldn't be pressure. Only your choice and your decision." She nodded._

"_I just want it to go away." Thea looked at her as Sam nodded, "And I don't want anyone to know about it." She said, "Not my mom or… my dad." She rolled her eyes, "Or Uncle Dean."_

"_Ok." Sam nodded, "Ok." She said calmly, looking across at Thea._

"_I would have just gone myself but I already looked into it on my way here and I need an adult with me." Thea said._

"_Baby, you are not going in there on your own." Sam assured her, "I'll be there." She nodded, looking across at Thea who was looking down, "You don't have to feel bad-"_

"_I feel disgusting, actually." Thea nodded truthfully as Sam looked across at her._

"_Well you shouldn't." Sam said, standing up and walking around, sitting down on the chair beside her, "You do what's best for you. That's all that matters right now. You got… plenty of time to have a baby." She said, wrapping her arms around her as Thea hugged into her._

"_Please don't tell my mom." Thea said._

"_This isn't my business to tell anyone." Sam said, stroking Thea's hair, "No woman should ever have to explain to anyone why she chose to take control of her own body."_

* * *

"Phil, can you get the door!" AJ called from upstairs, hearing a knock at their front door, "I told you, you're going deaf!" She yelled downstairs.

"Yeah, ok ok!" Punk called upstairs, coming out of the kitchen and walking towards the door, opening it up where he was surprised to see Dominic, "Oh… hey." Punk smiled at the surprise.

"Hey, man." Dominic nodded, embracing Punk who patted him on the back

"You ok?" Punk asked him, "The kids with you?" He wondered, looking out into the car, not being able to see much.

"Yeah they're asleep." Dominic smiled, "Crashed the second I started driving." He nodded, "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, I was at work and then Thea called to tell me what had happened and she went on ahead. Then I got a call from her last night telling me to just stay. But then she never came home." He said as Punk folded his arms, "So I've been calling her all day, leaving messages but… she's never picked up." He said, "It'd help my heart rate if she was here right now."

"She's… she's not here." Punk shook his head, "Uh… we saw her last night but, we haven't heard from her. I-I thought she was going back to Milwaukee." He said, "Well that's what she said."

"No, she never… she never came back." Dominic shook his head, looking across at him, "I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't a little worried right now. She's not been in the best place lately with all of this stuff." He said as Punk looked at him.

"Let me… let me call Jude and see if she maybe crashed there." Punk nodded, starting to feel a nervous energy in his stomach, pulling his phone out and calling Jude whilst Dominic stood at the door anxiously.

"Hey, it's just me." Punk said, "Hey… did Thea happen to crash at yours last night? You seen her?" He asked, looking over at Dominic who was watching hopefully, "Ok… ok, I'll call you later." Punk said, hanging up on the call.

"She there?" Dominic nodded.

"No." Punk said fearfully, "Jude hasn't spoken to her since last night either." He said as Dominic looked at him worriedly.


	26. Not Backing Down

**Not Backing Down**

* * *

"Where would she have went?" Dominic sighed with stress, "If she's not with Jude and she's not here… what about Sam's?" He thought suddenly.

"We've just came from Sam's. She's… She's not there." Punk shook his head.

"Oh, hey Dominic." AJ smiled, walking down the stairs as she noticed Dominic standing.

"Hi, April." Dominic nodded, giving her a tight hug.

"Are the kids here?" AJ smiled excitedly.

"They're asleep in the car." Dominic nodded as AJ looked at him, turning to Punk, beginning to notice the not so thrilled look on their faces.

"What's going on?" AJ asked.

"Thea didn't go back to Milwaukee last night." Punk told her, "And she's not at Jude's… or Sam's." Punk said as AJ raised her eyebrows, folding her arms and shaking her head.

"She said she was gonna drive back." AJ said, looking at Dominic, "She said she was going home." She shook her head.

"She didn't." Dominic said, "And whenever I call her or text her, I get no response." He said, "I'm starting to worry a little now. A lot actually. I'm starting to worry a lot." He said.

"I'm sure she's just… crashed at a hotel or something, right?" Punk nodded with assurance, "We'll go look for her." He said, "Bring the kids in here, April will stay with them." He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah… yeah, ok." Dominic nodded, walking out of the house and over to the car to get the sleeping kids out of the back seat.

"Where would she have went?" AJ panicked, turning to Punk who shook his head.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head, "We'll… We'll find her." He sighed to himself, feeling that horrible uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling he was beginning to feel too often.

"She was so upset when she left here last night. We should never have let her go-"

"We'll find her." Punk said bluntly, "You just stay here with the kids." He nodded to her, watching as Dominic carried James into the house, Punk and AJ smiling upon seeing their peaceful grandson.

"If Sofia wakes up, I apologise in advance." Dominic said to AJ who just smiled.

"I have experience with little girls, don't worry." AJ nodded as Dominic smiled, walking back to the car and picking Sofia up out of the car, taking her into the house and resting them down on the couch.

"Where do we even start looking?" Dominic shook his head as Punk grabbed his jacket.

"Let's just cover all ground the best we can." Punk said.

"Call me if you find her." AJ sighed to herself as Punk nodded, kissing her on the way out and leaving the house as AJ took a deep breath.

She walked into the living room, looking on at James and Sofia fast asleep, smiling to herself, so happy to see their angel faces after so long, but no good could weigh out the worry she had for her eldest daughter right now.

* * *

"Deano!" A barman smiled as Dean walked in, taking his hat off.

"Fucking cold out there tonight, Rico." Dean rubbed his hands together, walking over to the bar.

"Yeah, I think the snow is on its way." Rico nodded, "Usual?"

"Yeah, go on." Dean nodded, sitting up at the bar as Rico poured him a beer, sliding it over.

"How is the mrs?" Rico asked.

"She's all good, man." Dean nodded.

"Heard about the shooting down at the docks." Rico said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, rough night." Dean said.

"Phil and the family are all good, right?" Rico made sure.

"Yeah, they're all safe." Dean raised his beer as Rico nodded, "You been busy in here tonight?" Dean asked, looking around the bar, pausing for a second as he looked across the bar, noticing a familiar face.

"Not really." Rico shook his head.

"How long has she been here?" Dean whispered, nodding across the bar.

"Half an hour." Rico said, "Been sat staring at the same drink the entire time." He shook his head as Dean nodded to himself.

"Excuse me." Dean nodded, sliding of his bar stool, "T-bag!" Dean exclaimed, walking down the bar as Thea turned around and rolled her eyes, "What you doing here?" He asked her as Thea shrugged.

"Having a drink." Thea said, "You?" She questioned.

"Having a drink?" Dean asked, "Or sitting staring at a drink knowing it'll be the worst thing you do?" He questioned.

"Please, I've had enough lectures and telling off from everyone else. I just want some peace and quiet." Thea shook her head as Dean sat on the stool beside her.

"Why you torturing yourself?" Dean shook his head, "I mean we got… donut shops and coffee shops all over the city." He said.

"You have no idea how hard it is for me to sit and look at his drink and not be able to touch it." Thea nodded. Just looking at the drink, she could imagine the feeling, the sensation of it going down her throat and making everything, all her problems just go away.

"You're right, I don't." Dean nodded, "But I was there when you were… at your worst." He said, "And I saw what it was like for you." He said, "I mean I… I had to pick you up from your bedroom floor one time." He said, "I know what this stuff does to you."

"I just wish I could take control over it." She shook her head.

"You can. You have. For years now." Dean nodded, "Why are you even here? I thought you were in Milwaukee."

"I was. I came home when I heard about everything and it turns out my entire family hate me." She nodded, "Sad thing is, I don't even blame them. They should hate me."

"They don't hate you." Dean shook his head, "No matter what you think or what they might have said." He said, "This family don't hate each other."

"They're right though. This was my fault. I brought all of this onto everyone. I put my sisters in danger." She shook her head, "My sisters who have always had to suffer because of my actions."

"You mean those sisters who love you no matter what? Those sisters who would do anything for you?" Dean asked as Thea turned to him.

"Jude had a gun to her head." Thea looked at him, "I welcomed that into their lives. This was on me. This was my past, my mistakes following me and I just… I ran away." She shook her head, "I just ran away and left them to deal with it all."

"That's not what you did. No one thinks that's what you did. You were scared." Dean said.

"Cassie and Jude think it." Thea nodded, "I'm just sick of being the one everyone has to worry about." She shook her head, "Sometimes I just wanna drown in this." She nodded, lifting her drink up, "I want to leave and just have this. Sometimes I feel like that's all I need." She said, "That makes me a terrible… terrible person. An awful mom." She shook her head.

"No… it makes you someone who has addiction problems." Dean nodded as she turned to him, "Someone who… just needs some help. Someone to talk to." He said, "It gets too much for all of us sometimes. It's life. Sometimes it absolutely sucks." He said.

"Yeah, I know." Thea assured him.

"But it gets better. And then it might suck again." He said, "That's how it works." He nodded.

"Yeah well I seem to always miss out the better parts." Thea shook her head, "I feel like everyone just hates me."

"No one hates you." Dean shook his head, "No one."

"You weren't there when Cassie was going off. She hates me." Thea nodded.

"No, she doesn't. Your sisters. She's probably mad at you, yeah. But… sometimes people get mad because of things within themselves. She lost a friend. She's upset and wants to blame someone." He nodded, "You have any idea how much me and your dad used to tell each other we hated the other?" He smiled a little, "All the time."

"You guys are idiots, though." Thea joked bluntly as Dean nodded.

"Well true, but there's been rough spots in our relationship. Times where… he's wanted to punch me or I've wanted to punch him. Siblings fight, Thea." He assured her, "And you can't feel sorry for yourself or blame yourself for any of this. We've all done stupid things when we're young. And sometimes, yeah, they come back to bite you but we deal with it." Dean said.

"Just take this away because I'm literally gonna drink it." Thea shook her head, sliding the drink over to him as he slid it away down the bar.

"You didn't drink it, though." Dean reminded her as she turned to him, "No one thinks this is your fault." He shook his head, "No matter what your sisters have said. They're just upset."

"Nothing changes the fact that I should have been here." Thea shook her head, "And I knew I should have been here. Why would I think things would be ok?" She questioned.

"Because that's what we do. We believe things will turn out ok. If not, we'd all be sitting on the edge of our seats all the time." Dean said, "You did nothing wrong." He emphasised as she sighed to herself, "I think everyone just needs a bit of space right now."

"I'm supposed to be the big sister." Thea shook her head. She hadn't hated herself like this since she was using drugs. She just felt like a burden to everyone. It was hard to see any light in this, "I'm supposed to be the one who looks out for them." She said.

"You do look out for them. This… This is just different. This wasn't in any of our control." Dean said, "And you gotta realise that." He nodded as Thea sighed to herself, running her hands over her face.

"Can I give you a hug?" Dean asked her as she nodded.

"Yeah." Thea nodded to him as he turned on his bar stool, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged into him.

"You're no burden to anyone, sweetheart." Dean promised her, "You're so important to all of us." He said as Thea hugged into him, a tear rolling down her cheek.

* * *

"What are they doing here?" Cassie asked, walking into the living room where she noticed her niece and nephew sleeping whilst her mother sat over on the other couch.

"They?" AJ raised a brow unhappily with her tone as Cassie looked across at her, "We can't get a hold of Thea. Your dad and Dominic have gone to look for her."

"Well there's a surprise." Cassie shook her head sarcastically, walking out of the living room and into the kitchen as AJ followed her.

"Ok, that is enough, Cassie." AJ warned, "I get that you're upset and angry. And I am so sorry for what happened to Theo. I am." She nodded, "But this is your sister and she didn't mean for any of this to happen. You have to understand that. And now she's off God knows where because she feels guilty."

"She should feel guilty." Cassie said bluntly, "This was her mistakes. And Theo paid for them. Jude paid for them."

"What did you want Thea to do, baby? Tell me. What did you think Thea could prevent in all of this?" AJ asked.

"She could have just… not been a drug addict when she was young. It's that simple." Cassie said.

"That's small-minded, and I know you don't really think that." AJ said, "It's an illness. It's not a choice, Cassie. You were just a little girl when she was sick. You have no idea what it was like." She said, "And then to… to try and humiliate her like that in front of all of us. She'd never do something like that to you-"

"God, she will never do any wrong in your eyes, will she?" Cassie shook her head with frustration, "Or do you just feel like you gotta sympathise with her because she's turning into a version of yourself?"

"I'm gonna pretend you're not saying all of this stuff because I know you don't mean any of it." AJ shook her head.

"Well it's true. Dad's karma was prison. Your karma was Thea." Cassie shrugged, "The drug dealers have… a drug addict daughter. I call that the finest version of karma you'll ever find-"

"You better stop talking. Now." AJ made clear.

"A?" Sofia toddled into the kitchen, rubbing her tired eyes as she looked over at her mother and aunt.

"Hi, baby." AJ smiled, lifting Sofia up into her arms.

"Where's mommy?" Sofia asked sleepily as AJ watched Cassie storm out of the kitchen.

"Mommy will be back soon." AJ nodded, hugging Sofia tightly, feeling her play with the back of her hair sleepily as AJ smiled. Thea used to do the exact same thing.


	27. Space

**Space**

* * *

"You ok?" Dean asked, walking down the street with Thea.

"Yeah, I think so." Thea nodded to him, "Thank you for being the best uncle." She smiled as he chuckled a little.

"Uncle? Come on, you've always been like the little sister I never had." Dean smiled.

"That is true." Thea nodded, looking on as she watched her father and Dominic appearing down the street.

"T, you not know how to work a phone anymore?" Dominic called, putting his hands out as he walked towards her whilst Punk followed, "Where the hell were you last night?" He asked, immediately wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him back tightly.

In the midst of her own misery and feeling helpless, she'd somehow shut off the one person who she knew would always stand by her side, no matter what. She was wrong for that and she knew it.

"I'm sorry." Thea hugged him, "I just stayed at a hotel. I… I just wanted to be on my own." She explained.

"Ok, but call me or text me… don't just… step off the face of the earth like that." Dominic sighed with stress.

"I'm sorry." Thea nodded.

"It's ok." Dominic sighed, pulling her in for a hug again.

"Where the hell were you?" Punk asked, catching up.

"I was… I was just-" Thea began, not wanting to say she was at a bar.

"She was at a coffee shop." Dean chimed in, "Saw her through the window and I joined her for a coffee." He turned to Thea who smiled softly and nodded, "We had a good talk." He said, turning back to Punk who nodded.

"Since when do you drink coffee?" Punk shook his head.

"I'm coming around to it." Dean nodded, "How's everyone doing?" He asked Punk.

"Yeah, we're… we're ok." Punk nodded briefly as Dean turned back to Thea.

"I'll swing by and see you guys tomorrow or something. I better get home before Renee grounds me." Dean nodded.

"Thanks, man." Punk nodded to him, patting him on the back as he headed off down the street.

"Are you ok?" Dominic asked Thea, "Your dad… told me what happened with Cassie." He said, "She's just upset. She doesn't mean anything she said. You're her sister. She loves you." He assured her, "I don't know a bunch of sisters who love each other more or do as much as you all do for one another." He said truthfully as Punk nodded to himself. That was very true, "They probably just need a bit of time." He nodded.

"He's right." Punk added in.

"I know." Thea said, "But you guys gotta let me feel what I wanna feel. Telling me it's not my fault repeatedly doesn't change what I feel." She emphasised.

"I know that." Punk said, "We just don't want you to feel any guilt." He said as Dominic nodded.

"Well I do." Thea said, "And you gotta let me feel that so I can… do something about it. Talk to Cassie and Jude." She said as Punk looked across at her.

"Babe, I don't think they want to talk right now." Dominic said, "I think everyone just needs their space. Time to cool off." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I think cooler heads will prevail after a couple of days." Punk nodded.

"So what do I do? Sit around and let my sisters hate me?" Thea asked them.

"No, you let them calm down." Dominic said, "And then you guys talk, and make up, and… be sisters again." He said.

"I have a suggestion." Punk thought to himself as Thea looked over at him, "Why don't me and your mom keep the kids for a couple of days and you guys… take some time on your own?" He asked.

"No, it's ok, dad." Thea shook her head.

"We don't mind. We could use the little angels to cheer us up a bit." Punk nodded, "You two can have time to yourselves. Everyone can just take a couple days to… chill out and rejuvenate." He said.

"Doesn't sound so bad." Dominic looked at Thea.

"No… No, I want to go talk to my sisters. I'm not going off on a getaway." Thea scoffed.

"It's not a getaway." Dominic said, "It's taking a couple days to ourselves."

"I think it'd be good for you." Punk nodded to her as she folded her arms, looking from her husband to her father indecisively, not knowing what to say or do.

* * *

"Papa." Sofia whispered, standing at Punk's bedside, her furby tucked into her arm, Scooby-Doo pyjamas on with bed hair, "Punk." She said, tapping his arm nervously, hoping he'd wake up, noticing one of his eyes opening, giggling quietly to herself as he smiled sleepily.

"Morning." Punk chuckled a little, turning around in bed to see what his wife was up to, smiling as he saw her fast asleep.

"Papa Punk, I've woke up." She cared to tell him as he nodded.

"You have." Punk nodded, sitting up in bed and wiping the sleep from his eyes, "Your brother up?"

"Umm no, he's sleeping." She explained as Punk nodded.

"You wanna help me make some pancakes for everyone?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah." Sofia nodded excitedly, "Come on, come on." She jumped up and down impatiently.

"Ok." Punk chuckled, getting out of bed and putting on some shorts and t-shirt, "Ok, you go downstairs and let me do the toilet." He shooed her away as she ran away downstairs.

She ran through the hall and into the kitchen excitedly. She loved staying with her grandparents. It was a different type of fun. It was like a second home, and she'd missed them a whole lot since their move to Milwaukee.

She got into the kitchen, spotting her aunt Cassie sitting at the table with a coffee.

"We're making pancakes." Sofia told her aunt, climbing up onto the chair beside her.

"None for me, thanks." Cassie nodded as Sofia frowned.

"Why not?" Sofia asked, her shoulders deflating. How could anyone not want pancakes?

"I'm not that hungry, babe." Cassie said, fixing Sofia's bed hair.

"But it's Papa Punk's pancakes." Sofia explained.

"I'll just watch." Cassie nodded.

"Boring." Sofia said sassily, jumping back off the chair as Punk came into the kitchen, "Papa Punk, Cassie doesn't want pancakes."

"Why not?" Punk asked, looking over at Cassie.

"Not hungry." Cassie said briefly, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well… that's her loss then." Punk nodded to Sofia who was rolling her pyjama top sleeves up, "Ok, we need some flour, some eggs…" He spoke to himself whilst Sofia pushed one of the kitchen chairs over to the counter so she could stand on it to reach.

"Be careful you don't fall." Cassie watched Sofia.

"I am careful." Sofia made clear.

"Ok, here we go." Punk walked over, grabbing a big bowl out from the cupboard, helping Sofia put the ingredients in, letting her mix it all up, "Ok, use those muscles, let me see." Punk nodded, watching Sofia doing her best to mix up the pancake mix.

Cassie smiled as she watched. Sofia was definitely a character. She was a lot like Thea in the attitude department. It was clear to see that.

"I'm mixing it." Sofia nodded, encouraging her own self as Punk smiled.

"Hell yeah." Punk nodded, "Ok, keep going until all the flour is mixed in." He said, turning around to Cassie who was sitting watching.

"Shame you and I never got to do that when I was that age." Cassie nodded to him as he looked across at her.

"Why you taking your anger out on me and mom?" Punk asked her, walking over to the table, sitting down at the table, "Your mom was real upset after what you said to her. You don't get to talk to her like that. Not her." He made clear as Cassie looked at him. She knew he was mad with her.

"I'm not mad at you guys." Cassie assured him, "Mom's the one who isn't talking to me-"

"Yeah, well she's upset." Punk nodded, "Don't come at her like that. Not after what she's done for this family. For you and your sisters-"

"When you weren't here?" Cassie took another dig.

"Yeah, exactly. When I wasn't here. She raised all three of you. On her own." Punk said, "You don't get to be mad or angry at her." He shook his head.

"Well I'll apologise then." Cassie shrugged, noticing her father was legitimately mad with her about the way she was acting.

"Yeah, you will." Punk nodded.

"Theo's funeral is on Friday." Cassie said as Punk nodded.

"I'll come with you." He said.

"You don't have to." Cassie shook her head.

"I'll come." Punk nodded, watching as she nodded and looked down, "I know you're hurting right now. You've lost someone you cared about. I… I feel lucky that I've never been in that position before. But judging by what I've heard, he'd be making fun of you for sitting around sulking over him, right?" He figured as Cassie smiled a little and nodded.

"Yeah, he would actually." Cassie thought to herself, "He'd definitely be making fun of me right now." She said as Punk smiled.

"You can be upset. You can feel whatever you wanna feel, but we're your family, Cassie. We're here to help you and support you. You don't have to tear us all down." He said as she nodded to herself.

"Maybe I've not… dealt with this very well." She figured.

"Maybe not." Punk nodded in agreement, "But we can say things we don't mean when we're hurt." He said.

"I'm still mad with Thea." Cassie made clear, "But… I should never have told everyone about her having an abortion. I feel awful about that, actually." She said.

Having some time to think to herself made her realise the impact of her words on her family. She realised her sister was undeserving of such personal information being shouted out without her consent. She was mad at herself for that. So mad.

"It wasn't any of our business to know." Punk nodded.

"It wasn't." Cassie agreed, "I was just so upset." She shook her head, "I miss him." She nodded. She realised all her anger and sadness came from missing Theo. She missed talking to him. Working with him. Learning from him. She wasn't really sure how to deal with this loss.

"I know." Punk understood.

"He's gone but I still… I still feel like I'm falling for him." Cassie shook her head with confusion.

"You must have had a really good friendship." Punk nodded.

"We did." Cassie nodded, "She's gonna fall off that chair." She observed Sofia who was almost falling off her chair.

"Sofia, careful." Punk nodded.

"I am careful!" Sofia snapped as Punk chuckled to himself.

"She's literally just a small Thea." Cassie shook her head.

"Yeah, she is. There's two of them now." Punk teased as Cassie smiled, "You know she's… hating herself right now, so bad." He said, "She wanted to come talk to you and Jude but… I figured you all needed space."

"Yeah, I… I think I need some time before I speak to her." Cassie nodded.

Thea and Dominic had agreed to have a few days to themselves, letting James and Sofia stay with Punk and AJ. Punk felt content that all his daughters were getting the appropriate time on their own to heal and calm down. He hoped in a few days they'd be able to talk things out.

"Just know that she… she never wanted any of this. And at the same time, she also couldn't do anything to prevent it." Punk said, "It wasn't her fault."

"Yeah, I know." Cassie nodded. She knew.

"Papa Punk, I've mixed it all." Sofia said.

"Ok, let me see." Punk stood up from the table, walking over and checking out the pancake mix, "Damn, you had those muscles working." He nodded as Sofia smiled.

"Yes, look." Sofia said, flexing her muscles as Cassie chuckled, "Why are you laughing, aunt Cassie?" Sofia wondered suspiciously.

"Oh, I just can't believe you have such big muscles." Cassie nodded.

"Oh." Sofia smiled, "I know." She nodded proudly.

"Ok, let's start making these." Punk nodded, getting a pan out, beginning to scoop out the mix to cook the pancakes. Sofia observed this part as she wasn't allowed to go near the stove.

"Now that I smell them… maybe I am kinda hungry." Cassie nodded, standing up from the table and opening up the fridge, grabbing out some blueberries and whipped cream.

"Sofia you get the first batch since you made them." Punk nodded.

"Of course." Sofia nodded, walking over to the table, sitting up and getting ready for her pancakes which Punk eventually gave to her.

"You want a smiley face?" Cassie asked her, taking the whipped cream and drawing up a face for her, "Use the blueberries for the eyes and nose." She said.

"Oh." Sofia smiled excitedly, reaching over for some of the blueberries, putting some eyes on the face, "But now I don't wanna eat him." She sighed stressfully as Punk chuckled to himself, hearing footsteps coming downstairs and watching James appear.

"Hey, buddy." Punk smiled, "You smell the pancakes?" He chuckled, messing his hair up.

"James, look at my face!" Sofia exclaimed excitedly as Cassie chuckled.

James climbed up onto the chair beside his sister and looked at the pancake face.

"Oh, I want a face too." James nodded.

"Coming up." Punk nodded, putting a pancake on a plate, handing it over to Cassie, "Aunt Cassie is the face maker." He said as Cassie chuckled, squishing some whipped cream onto James' pancake to make a face.

"Here you go." Cassie smiled, handing the plate over to James.

"And use the blueberries for eyes." Sofia ordered her brother as James smiled, grabbing some blueberries, "Papa Punk, save a face for A." She ordered, sweetly.

"Ok, we'll keep one for A. Maybe this could be an apology face?" He hummed, looking over at Cassie who smiled a little and nodded.

"Yeah, I think so." Cassie nodded.


	28. Struggling

**Struggling**

* * *

"Morning." Cassie said, watching her mother walk into the kitchen.

"Morning." AJ replied calmly, walking over to the coffee pot.

"Oh, I… I made you coffee." Cassie explained as AJ turned around, "And some breakfast." She said, sliding the pancakes over as AJ walked towards the table, noticing the smiley face on the pancakes with some whipped cream and blueberries. For a second, she just couldn't put her mom hat on. She couldn't be the understanding one who kept everyone happy and content. She wanted to be upset. She wanted to let herself be upset for once.

"I'm not in the mood for pancakes." AJ said briefly, turning back around as Cassie frowned.

"But did you see what it says?" Cassie asked her as AJ turned back around, "Here." Cassie pointed to the blueberries at the top of the plate which had spelt out 'I'm sorry' above the pancakes.

"Yes, I can read." AJ nodded to her, turning back around as Cassie huffed.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said." Cassie said.

"Where's your father?" AJ asked, pouring herself her own coffee even though Cassie had already done so. She wanted to be the awkward one for once. Her feelings were valid and she was tired of being a punching bag for her daughters.

"He's in the living room watching TV with the kids." Cassie said, "Sofia made you this pancake, you know. She'll be upset if you don't eat it." She said, "I made the faces for them." She smiled.

"Oh." AJ nodded, grabbing a knife from the cutlery drawer, walking over and lifting up the pancake, scraping all the whipped cream and blueberries off it as Cassie watched in shock, "There." AJ smiled to herself, putting the plain pancake on another plate.

"Mom." Cassie scoffed, "That's a little childish-"

"It is, isn't it?" AJ nodded, "Annoying, right?"

"Yeah, it is. Just let me apologise. I am sorry, you know." Cassie said, "I was just upset." She said as AJ looked across at her, "And I know what I said about Thea was wrong, trying to expose her like that. I'm still… mad with her but she never deserved that." She said, "And you didn't either. I am sorry." She made clear as AJ looked across at her.

AJ just nodded, not saying another word as she took her plate and coffee and left the kitchen. Cassie groaned, leaning her head on the table, not really feeling like her apology had been accepted.

AJ came into the living room where Sofia and James were fixed on watching a morning kids programme with Punk, who also seemed interested in the program funny enough.

"Hey." AJ said, sitting down beside Punk, "You enjoying this?" She laughed a little.

"Yeah, actually. They're trying to find the treasure but I know pirate Pete has it on the other island." Punk nodded as AJ chuckled, "You get your pancakes?" He turned to her, noticing there was no blueberries or whipped cream on it anymore, "Naked pancakes?"

"Yeah I wanted them plain." AJ shrugged, "Sofia, good job with the pancakes, baby." She looked across at Sofia who was too invested in the TV program to even realise someone was talking to her.

"You talk to Cassie?" Punk asked her.

"Yes." AJ nodded as Punk looked at her.

"And?" He waited.

"And what?" AJ shook her head.

"Well she feels bad for upsetting you." Punk said, "She wanted to apologise."

"Well she should feel bad. I'm sick of them thinking they can talk to me like however they want, and I'll not take any offence to it." She shook her head.

"I know. I know and I spoke to her about that." Punk said, "But she's hurting too. She really liked Theo." He said, "I really don't think she was lashing out to hurt you. Or Thea. I think she just wants to blame someone."

"I know that. And I hate what she's having to go through. I don't… I don't even know what it's like to lose someone you care about… in terms of death." She said, "But I can only imagine." She nodded, "I still don't wanna be treated like an idiot." She shook her head. As a mother, there were many times where she felt like she'd had enough. Especially as the girls had grown into adults.

"I know." Punk nodded, "If it helps she said some mean things to me too."

"I hate when they're mean." AJ looked at him as he smiled and nodded, "It's like… I pushed you out of my body you little shit, stop bullying me." She scoffed as he chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah I feel like it's unfair for you more than it is me. You've always been the… soul provider for them. I have no shame in admitting that." He said, "So it does rub me the wrong way when they treat you like shit."

"We should just run away from them." AJ nodded to him jokingly but with a serious face, causing him to chuckle.

"But where would we go?" He wondered sweetly, wrapping his arm around her as she curled into him.

"Somewhere sunny." AJ nodded, "Close to the beach." She thought to herself, "Somewhere quiet."

"Come on, you love the busy city life." Punk said.

"Yeah when I was younger." AJ said, "Now I just wanna hear my own thoughts." She shook her head.

"You'll start hearing them again." Punk nodded, rubbing her arm softly.

"You heard from Thea?" AJ asked.

"No. She said they were just gonna have a couple days in the house to themselves. I think all three of them just need space on their own. They've never been girls to get through things together. They do their own thing, think their own thoughts, and then they work it out." He said as AJ nodded, "I'm gonna go to Theo's funeral with her on Friday. I don't want her to go alone."

"Yeah, I don't want that either." AJ sighed, "I know she's really hurting." She nodded.

"Do you think they…" Punk nodded his head back and forth, "You know…" He shrugged as AJ looked up at him.

"Had sex?" AJ asked simply.

"Yeah." Punk said.

"I don't know." AJ said, "I mean… she said they were just friends so, I'm not really sure what the deal was." She said.

"She really liked him. I can tell." Punk sighed. "It's the first boy I've ever heard her even talk about."

"Yeah, I know." AJ sighed to herself.

"I think we should do something fun today, with the kids." Punk nodded, "Take them to the docks to feed the ducks or… go to park or something." He said.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." AJ smiled, leaning into him, "Hey, guys. What do you wanna do today?" She asked them, "Do you wanna go feed the ducks? Or go to the park?"

"I would like to… umm…" Sofia got off the couch, wondering over to her grandparents, "I would like to… feed the ducks!" She decided, "And the fishes."

"Feed the ducks and the fishes it is." Punk repeated, "But… we gotta fix that bed hair of yours first."

"I like my bed hair." Sofia frowned.

"It's not a good look, babe." Punk shook his head as Sofia ran away over to the other couch, sitting up with her brother.

"I'm gonna go talk to Cassie." AJ nodded, "See if she wants to go feed the ducks with us." She nodded, getting up from the couch and heading off into the kitchen with her empty plate.

Cassie was sitting at the table finishing her coffee and reading the paper, figuring it was going to take more than some pancakes to apologise to her mother.

"So… did Sofia do a good job?" Cassie asked her.

"She did. Those were good." AJ nodded, sitting her empty plate and mug over by the sink, "We're gonna take the kids to the docks. Feed the ducks and fish. Maybe get some lunch whilst we're out." She said, "Would you like to come with us?"

"Is that a pity invite?" Cassie folded her arms.

"No." AJ said, "It's a… I know you're sorry and hurting right now, so I forgive you and we're gonna be fine… invite." She nodded as Cassie smiled a little, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I am sorry." Cassie nodded, "Me feeling hurt and sad isn't an excuse to take it out on you. Or even Thea." She said, "I just… I've never felt like this before." She shook her head, "I'm so mad that he's gone. And then I'm upset about it. Thinking about things I should have said to him." She said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, regret is a powerful feeling." AJ nodded, "But… you just gotta remember the good things you had with him. And the good memories." She said, "Think about those." She said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I'm trying." Cassie nodded, "Do you really forgive me or are you just being the good mom you are?"

"No, I forgive you." AJ said, "It's been a shitty week. We're all feeling the effects of it." She said, "But it'll get better." She nodded.

"I hope so." Cassie nodded.

"So… are you coming with us to feed the ducks?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." Cassie smiled as AJ walked over to her, leaning down and hugging her from the side, kissing her head.

"I love you." AJ said.

"Love you too." Cassie hugged into her.

* * *

"Hey, Jude!" Sean called, walking into their house with some breakfast, making his way through to the kitchen where Jude was sitting.

"That smells really good." Jude smiled.

"Yeah I almost ate mine on the way home." Sean chuckled, leaning over and kissing her, "You ok?" He asked her.

"You don't have to keep asking me that." Jude smiled a little.

"Well I want to know." Sean said, sitting down at the table with her.

"I'm fine." Jude assured him, "I uh… I might take a nap after this, though. I didn't sleep very well. Between the baby kicking and… my head just spinning." She shook her head.

"No one expects you to just bounce back and act like nothing even happened." Sean said, "It was a terrible thing." He shook his head.

"It wasn't so much the gun to the head that bothered me." Jude said, "Which… hearing that out loud sounds ridiculous, I know." She said, unwrapping her breakfast burrito, "It was… what he said to me." She nodded, "I mean… here I am, I don't even know who this person is. It… It felt easier to feel the gun against my head than to hear him say what he said." She nodded, "And I can't stop hearing it." She shook her head as Sean nodded.

"Talk to me about it." Sean said, "Whatever you think, you can't possibly take what he said and believe it. It's just… it's ridiculous." He shook his head.

"I just felt like I was reliving it when I heard him say those things." Jude said, "Like I was back in that room, getting pictures taken of my body and… swabs, blood, just lying there feeling like a… used version of myself." She shook her head.

"Jude, you… you've worked so hard, you still work so hard to maintain that… part of your life, what happened to you. I see it. I see it every day. And still, I couldn't ever imagine what it's like to live with that memory." He said, "But I know you and I know you're so much more than that. It's not who you are."

"I know that." Jude nodded, "It's just hearing things like… you secretly enjoyed it." She said, "That bothers me. It really bothers me." He said, "Because even though that guy didn't know me and… his words don't mean anything… they still get put out there, and that makes it ok for other people to think that and say things like that." She said, "I don't want my daughter growing up in a world where… people can get away with talking like that." She shook her head.

"Lucky she's got a badass mom to make sure she knows how to deal with people like that." Sean nodded.

"I don't know about badass." Jude said, "I care. I care what people think. I mean… to this day I still question everything about it. What if I did say yes? What if… what if at the time I was aware and-"

"This is now why I'm here." Sean said, "Because I see you go through phases like this where you do doubt everything, and question everything, but that's normal. It's normal for someone who has been sexually assaulted to try and take blame. Because it means you don't have to think about who the blame is really on." He said, "Nothing you could have said or did that night would have made what he done ok." He nodded, "And you know that. You speak to specialists and therapists." He said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, it's just… hearing that stuff just brings it all back to the surface again." She said, "It's like everything I've worked so hard at to get over just gets completely erased." She shook her head, "And then I… I get tired at the thought of having to work past it again."

"What do you do? What do you always do when this happens?" Sean asked as she looked across at him.

"Set myself little goals." Jude nodded.

"So you do just that." Sean said, "There's no… tomorrow I will forget about all of this and I will be happy and love life again… none of that bullshit." He scoffed as she smiled, "It's a gradual process, right?" He said as she nodded with a smile.

She felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have a supportive boyfriend who not only had helped her through that awful time in her life, but knew and was aware that the fight to keep working on it was still there.

"I just feel really anxious and… then I feel sleepy and sad." She said, "I don't know if it's a combination of being pregnant and what just happened."

"I'd say so." Sean nodded, "We gotta take care of you. You gotta take care of you." He nodded, "Because to me, that's the most important thing in the whole world." He nodded as she smiled.

"You're sweet." Jude nodded.

"You're sweeter." He replied as she smiled, "You know, I might join you with that nap after this." He said as Jude smiled. In her lowest moments, she still felt loved.


	29. Still Struggling

**Still Struggling**

* * *

"They're quacking!" Sofia giggled excitedly, holding Punk's hand as she stood looking on at the ducks which had swam over to them once they realised they were sharing some food with them, "They're funny." Sofia chuckled, crouching down as Punk crouched down with her.

"Man, there's tons." Punk nodded, "Look at their orange beaks." He pointed out as Sofia looked closely.

"I want a pet duck, papa." Sofia told him, holding onto his shoulder.

"Well you gotta ask mommy and daddy." Punk nodded.

"I will." Sofia smiled.

"We can't have a duck." James turned his little sister, "Ducks are for the water, Sofia." He explained with authority.

"No I want to have one in my house." Sofia looked at James, "And I can play with him. And he can come into my bed." She smiled.

"Mommy will say no." James said.

"I'll ask daddy." She grinned to herself. She knew her father very rarely told her no.

"What would you call it?" Punk asked out of curiosity.

"Umm…" Sofia thought to herself, "Quackers." She smiled, "Like crackers but not really." She said as Punk chuckled and nodded.

"That's good. That's a good name for a duck." Punk nodded, impressed, "Here's some more bread to throw in." He gave them both some pieces of bread to throw to the ducks.

"Maybe I could just take one of these ducks." Sofia whispered to herself as Punk smiled.

As he got older, he really managed to take joy out of the simpler things in life. Things like taking his grandchildren to the docks. Spending time with his wife in the fresh air. Things which fulfilled him more than he ever thought they could. He took pride in his family that he and his wife had built, and even when things sucked, they found the good in it somehow.

"How come kids love him?" Cassie asked, standing with AJ a little further back.

"I don't know. He just… has a knack for it." AJ nodded, "He's always been like that. Even with you girls. I was always the… boring, serious parent and he was the fun one." She smiled a little.

"You weren't boring." Cassie said, "You both have your own special qualities." She nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you missed out on things like this with him. Jude and Thea didn't." AJ realised as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, we all… missed something from him, I guess." Cassie nodded, "So… where did Thea actually go?"

"She went back to Milwaukee with Dominic. Your dad convinced them to go back for a few nights. Take some time to themselves and clear their heads. I think you all need your own space before you guys talk again. Cool off a bit." AJ nodded.

"Have you heard from Jude?" Cassie asked. She did feel a divide between her and her sisters, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Yeah, just a text this morning. She said she was doing ok, struggling to sleep but Sean has taken time off work so… they're getting by." AJ nodded.

"I didn't think I could do it." Cassie shook her head, "When I pulled up and I saw he had a gun, and he had Jude… I thought, there is no way I can ever do this as a cop."

"It's different, though. That was your sister." AJ said.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said, "I was so scared." She shook her head.

"Me too." AJ nodded.

"I will apologise to Thea." Cassie nodded as AJ turned to her, "It wasn't my business to tell everyone she'd had an abortion. I didn't even mean it to be like a shame thing because… there is no shame in it. It was obviously her choice." She said, "I just got mad and… I guess I wanted her to hurt like I wasn't." She shrugged.

"How did you find out from Sam?" AJ asked curiously.

"I met her one night on my way home from the station. She was… drunk, falling all over the place so I put her in the car and took her home. She started talking about all kinds of nonsense and then she… brought up the abortion." Cassie said, "I never brought it up with Thea because… well like I said, it's not my business."

"It's not anyone's." AJ nodded, "I know you're still upset with her about all of this stuff that happened. But… she really couldn't have done anything to stop it. And saying that she shouldn't have gotten involved with people like that when she was young isn't gonna help you move on." She said, "She was in a real bad place back then. Real bad." She nodded, "She would… leave and not come back home for a few days. She was hospitalized often. It was like she… wasn't even Thea anymore. Like there was no human being inside her." She shook her head.

"I guess you were the only one who really saw her like that." Cassie nodded.

"Yeah." AJ nodded, "Well… me, Dean and Sam." She said, "My point is, she would never have meant for any of this to happen. You girls are way too close to be fighting over something like this." She said.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said, "I think I'm just angry and upset about Theo that I… I needed someone to blame quickly." She said as AJ nodded, "I still think Thea should have been here, though. Just to warn us about who this person was and why they were harassing her. I feel like she just sort of… abandoned us and left us to deal with it."

"And I can see why you'd think that." AJ understood. It was always hard as a mom to stay neutral, but in this case she definitely could see where Cassie was coming from, and also where Thea was coming from.

"We'll talk about it all in a couple days." Cassie nodded.

"Yeah… life is too short." AJ nodded to her, "I should take a picture and send it to Thea." AJ said, getting her phone out and snapping a picture of Punk with Sofia and James feeding the ducks.

* * *

"My mom and dad took the kids to feed the ducks." Thea smiled, walking into the living room, showing Dominic the pictures AJ had sent her, sitting down beside him.

"Sofia always looks like she's had too much sugar or something." Dominic shook his head as Thea chuckled.

"Yeah, my dad calls that the Thea effect." Thea nodded as Dominic smiled.

"Looks like they're having fun." Dominic smiled happily as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, it does." Thea nodded, taking the phone from him and sitting it over, "What do we even do now? Are we… supposed to move back to Chicago?" She asked as he leaned his head back on the couch.

"Do you wanna move back to Chicago?" He asked her.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "I miss my family. Everything is weird here." Thea shook her head as Dominic laughed a little.

"It's not weird. It's just different." Dominic nodded.

"Different is weird to me." Thea said, "It's hard to feel like they want me to move back right now, though." She admitted.

"Of course they do." Dominic said, "You gotta get this idea out of your head that they all hate you." He said, "Cassie was just upset. What she said… she didn't mean. You guys will be back to normal in no time." He said.

"I thought they would all have more to say when they found out about the abortion." She said, "My dad never even said anything." She thought to herself.

"Because it's not something they get to have an opinion on, unfortunately. As horrible as that sounds." Dominic said, "It was your decision. Your choice." He said, "It's not like your parents are dictators. They'll just be glad you're safe and healthy."

"Yeah, I know." Thea sighed, "Kinda makes me feel bad about not telling them. I just had it in my head that they would be disappointed and… ashamed or something." She shrugged.

"It's like you don't know your parents at all." Dominic smiled a little.

"I guess when you're young you just freak out more." Thea shrugged, "Although, I still do quite a lot of freaking out, actually." She realised.

"Yeah I think that's normal." Dominic nodded.

"I was gonna drink." She admitted as he turned to her, "The other night, when you came to Chicago. Dean didn't find me in a coffee shop he… found me in a bar." She said as Dominic sat up a little, "I really wanted to." She shook her head, fidgeting with her hands.

"Did you?" Dominic asked worriedly.

"No… no, I… I didn't." Thea said triumphantly, "But I haven't been close to drinking like that in a long time, "I just wish I could deal with things like a normal person." She shook her head with frustration, "I wish that when things get hard I didn't immediately think about drinking and just disappearing." She shook her head, "I hate how much it controls me."

"But… you didn't drink." Dominic made clear as she looked at him, "That means you took the control." He nodded as she looked at him.

"I didn't want to, though." Thea shook her head, "And every time I feel like that I… I feel like a terrible mom. What does that say about me? I have these… amazing kids, a good home, a good job and I still just want to ruin it all?" She shook her head, "Why can't it just go away?" She asked with a deep sigh, looking down as Dominic watched her.

"That's the annoying thing. It doesn't go away." Dominic nodded, "But addiction and what you go through does not determine how good a mom you are. You're an amazing mom. And because you feel down sometimes and you struggle doesn't mean you love the kids any less." He said, "I know that. Your family knows that." He nodded to her.

"Maybe I need to see a therapist or something." She nodded to him, "And I don't mean because I can't talk to you. I can."

"I know." Dominic assured her, "I think that might be a good idea." He said. He knew she was struggling. Not just because of everything that had recently happened, but in everyday life. She did have down days where she found it hard just to get out of bed and put a smile on her face. He didn't want to see his wife like that, and anything that would help her he was behind it one hundred percent.

"I know all of this stuff that has happened isn't helping but… it's like the what if is always there." She shook her head, "What if I go have a drink? What if I just have one? What if I'm not longer an addict and I can handle it?" She scoffed, listening to herself.

"Yeah, I get it." Dominic nodded.

"Yeah, you do." Thea said, taking his hand, leaning her head back on the couch, looking at him as he looked at her.

"We going back to Chicago?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She said, "I wanna be with my sisters." She nodded.

"Ok." Dominic smiled, leaning over and kissing her sweetly as she kissed back.


	30. Sisters

**Sisters**

* * *

"That was a nice service." Punk nodded, walking down the graveyard with Cassie after Theo's funeral, "Sounds ridiculous when you say stuff like that at things like this." He shook his head.

"No, I know what you mean." Cassie understood, "It was." She nodded.

It was a hard day. It didn't feel right saying goodbye to someone she was just beginning to let in. Her heart felt like it was just hanging. Like it was sitting on the edge of a razor blade, waiting around for him. The sudden loss of him still hadn't really sunk in for her yet.

"He must have a big family. There was a ton of people there." Punk said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah. Lots of cops there too." Cassie said. Her eyes were puffy from tears and she was definitely ready to go home and change into her pyjamas, "I tried getting Jake's attention but I think he's trying to avoid me. Probably thinks I'm gonna ask to come back."

"You had any update on the review?" Punk asked her.

"I'm supposed to be going in next week for my psych evaluation." Cassie rolled her eyes, "And then I'll have an interview with a panel." She said, "It's gonna be weird getting put with a new partner." She sighed to herself, "I'm kinda dreading it."

"Hey, you'll be fine." Punk nodded, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her head, "You just remember everything he taught you." He said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I'll try." Cassie said, "It's gonna be hard being in the station and… not seeing him there. Part of me didn't want to go on this leave of absence but now I'm dreading going back." She admitted.

"It'll be tough. Hard to get used to." Punk nodded truthfully, "But I know you can do it." He said.

"Excuse me." A woman called over as Punk and Cassie paused, turning around as Cassie noticed it was Theo's mother approaching them.

"Hi." Cassie said politely, "I'm… so sorry for your loss." She shook her head as the woman nodded.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I'm Jillian. Theo's mother." Jillian said as Cassie nodded, "Are you… Cassie?" She asked.

"Yeah, I am." Cassie nodded.

"Well I was… clearing out my son's apartment over the past couple of days and I believe there are some things I came across that are yours." Jillian said as Cassie nodded awkwardly, turning to Punk who just raised his eyebrows and looked down.

"Uh… yeah, I can come pick it up whenever." Cassie nodded quickly.

"Oh, I have it all in my car." Jillian said, "I can give you it right now."

"Oh… yeah, ok. Thank you." Cassie said as Jillian smiled.

"He spoke to me a lot about you, you know." Jillian nodded, walking towards her parked car, "I believe the first word he used to describe you to me was… a maniac." She said as Cassie chuckled whilst Punk smiled to himself.

"Yeah I can imagine him saying that." Cassie smiled to herself.

"And then he… said some nicer things about you too, of course." Jillian nodded to her as Cassie smiled, walking over to her car.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Cassie asked politely, "Anything I can help you with?"

"No, you're ok, dear." Jillian nodded, opening up the trunk of the car, "Here is your things." She passed a bag over to Cassie which had some clothes she'd left at Theo's apartment, "Oh and… this was in a separate area of his apartment. Actually it was hidden in one of the kitchen cupboards." She explained, passing over a wrapped up present, "Is it… your birthday soon?"

"Y-Yeah… Sunday." Cassie said, taking the thin, square wrapped up item from her which had a tag with her name on it.

"Well… I think that was a birthday gift for you." Jillian nodded as Cassie smiled.

"Thank you for giving me it." Cassie nodded as Punk looked on with a small smile.

"Well, I'm sure he would have really liked for you to get it." Jillian nodded, "I best get going." She said as Cassie nodded, watching her getting into her car.

"That's an odd shape." Punk observed, walking to his car with her.

"Yeah, I think I know what it is." Cassie nodded to herself with a sigh.

* * *

Punk and Cassie got home from the funeral service, walking into the house where Cassie sat the bag of clothes and her birthday gift down at the bottom of the stairs.

"Thank you for coming with me today." Cassie nodded to her father.

"Well you shouldn't have gone alone." Punk said, giving her a hug as she hugged back tightly, "You'll get through it." He whispered, kissing her head.

"Yeah, I will." Cassie sighed to herself.

"Why don't you go sit on the couch and I'll bring you in some coffee?" He said.

"Yeah, ok." Cassie nodded, watching him walk off down the kitchen.

She walked on through to the living room, pausing when she saw Jude sitting on the couch whilst Thea stood.

"Hey." Jude smiled softly.

"Hi." Thea said as Cassie looked at them both.

"Hi." Cassie said suspiciously, "I… I didn't know you were coming today." She looked over at Thea.

"Yeah, well… I had to come get those pesky kids at some point." She said as Jude smiled a little, "Look, I'm gonna come right out and say it… I am not the best sister in the world." She nodded, "I can be… selfish, stupid, insensitive and irresponsible." She nodded as Jude and Cassie looked across at her, "But I would never do anything to hurt either of you or put you in danger." She said, "And knowing I did is killing me."

"Thea, you don't gotta give a speech." Jude shook her head.

"No, I wanna hear some more." Cassie sat down on the arm of the couch, folding her arms.

"I made stupid mistakes when I was a kid because I… I wanted to feel some sort of control from it, and then it ended up controlling me." She said, "And then it caught up with me and I thought the best way to get rid of it was to run away." She nodded, "I know, classic Thea making more stupid decisions." She said, "It didn't cross my mind that I was putting the rest of you in danger, if it did I never would have left." She made clear.

"Why wouldn't it cross your mind?" Cassie questioned, "Look at our mom and dad. It's not like we don't know what people like that do."

"I don't know, maybe… maybe I was so scared I just jumped in doing the first thing that came to my mind." Thea said, "Or maybe I was protecting my kids first. I wanted them out of here, away from it all." She nodded, "And then I thought it was under control." She said, "Look, I guess what I'm trying to say is… I am so sorry, to both of you for what happened." She nodded, "If I could trade places with you both I would." She said, "I'm supposed to be the big sister and you guys are the ones who have always looked after me and kept me on the right path." She said truthfully as Jude turned to Cassie.

"Thea, this wasn't your fault." Jude shook her head, "I don't blame you for this." She made clear as Thea nodded, turning to Cassie.

"I don't blame you either." Cassie nodded, "And I'm not just saying it. I really don't blame you for this." She said, "I was just hurt and mad. I had to be mad at someone and you just fit the narrative I cooked up in my head." She shrugged, "You're my sister, and I love you." She said as Thea smiled with relief, "And actually… I owe you an apology." She said, "The way I spoke to you, what I told everyone… I'm so ashamed of myself for that and I'm really sorry that I told everyone something that… I shouldn't have even known." She said as Thea nodded.

"It's ok." Thea nodded, "Turns out we have a pretty decent mom and dad who respect the decisions and choices we make." She said.

"Yeah, they're ok." Jude nodded, "You never had to keep it a secret from us, though. I mean… it is your body, you shouldn't feel guilty about making a decision like that."

"I used to feel guilty about it." Thea nodded, "Not so much anymore." She said. Ironically, people finding out about her abortion actually made her accept it more, which was something she didn't expect but something she embraced, "I guess I always had this shame about it because of how it happened and how young I was but… it was my choice and I'm sick of having to pretend like I don't own this." She pointed up and down to her body.

"Amen to that, sister." Jude nodded as Cassie smiled to herself.

"So…" Thea said, "Are we… ok?" She asked them both as Jude and Cassie turned to each other.

"Yeah, we're ok." Cassie smiled as Thea nodded with relief, "We're always gonna be ok." She stood up, walking over to Thea and hugging her tightly as Thea hugged back.

"I'm so sorry about your friend." Thea whispered as Cassie nodded, resting her chin on Thea's shoulder.

"Wait, I want in." Jude struggled to her feet.

"Come on, fatty." Thea nodded, opening up her hug with Cassie and letting Jude into it.

"I love three-way sister hugs." Jude smiled as Cassie and Thea chuckled.

Meanwhile AJ stood at the living room door watching, smiling to herself and backing away, walking into the kitchen where Punk was sitting at the table.

"Put it there, Brooks." AJ said, putting her hand out as he slapped it triumphantly with a smile as she kissed his head sweetly.

* * *

Later that night, Cassie had gotten out of the shower and was headed into her bedroom after a long day. She felt a tremendous weight lifted from her shoulders after clearing things up with Thea. The truth was, her sisters would always be her sisters, and she was always going to love them no matter what.

She got into some pyjamas, brushing her wet hair, catching onto the birthday gift from Theo which was sitting on her bed. She was too curious and desperate to wait until Sunday. She knew he would be judging her for opening it before her birthday but she couldn't help it.

She picked up the gift and began opening it up, ripping the wrapping paper off as she pulled out the vinyl record which had a small card attached to it. She noticed it was a Billy Ocean single record, which made her smile, because she knew he paid attention.

She opened up the small card which read, _'So I listened to some of your soul ghetto punk rock stuff. I feel like these lyrics fit with you pretty well. Have a great birthday. Love Theo.'_

She smiled to herself, placing the card against her chest and looking at the Vinyl which she noticed was an original copy of 'Love Really Hurts Without You'.

She walked over to her record player in her room, taking the record out and setting it up, putting the needle down as she smiled whilst the song began to play. She could understand why he correlated the lyrics with her. It made her laugh as she imagined him listening to it. It made her laugh, but with tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat.

She only wished she could have accepted the gift from him in person. It seemed unfair that it had to be this way, but all she could do as she listened to the song was imagine his smile, his goodness and kindness, all the good things that made her fall for him.


	31. Everything Changes

**Everything Changes**

* * *

"Phil, baby remember we're doing that class tonight." AJ said, scratching the back of Punk's neck sweetly as she came into the kitchen early in the morning before heading off to work.

"What time?" Punk asked, sitting at the table with Cassie.

"8pm." AJ said.

"I didn't have to read anything, did I?" Punk asked her.

"No, it's the first class." AJ shook her head.

"So why have you been reading stuff?" Punk asked curiously.

"Well I… I wanna impress the teacher." AJ shrugged as Cassie chuckled.

"I think this is so cute." Cassie said.

"Cute?" Punk shook his head, "April, when did we resign to the cute department? That makes me feel old." He said.

"No, you know I love little old couples doing things together." Cassie smiled, eating her cereal.

"Um, little old couples?" AJ turned around.

"Well you guys aren't exactly new to the world, are you?" Cassie scoffed, "I just don't see you guys lasting." She shrugged.

"Why?" AJ asked, a little amused.

"Well you're… mom and dad. You goof off too much." Cassie said, "High school was difficult, you know." She said.

"Yeah and that's why we're doing it." AJ nodded, "Right, Phil?" She tapped his arm as he was reading the paper, "Phil?" She pushed him as he looked up.

"Huh?" He asked, not paying attention, "Yeah, yeah we wanna do this." He nodded.

"I just think it's gonna be funny when you guys get kicked out of school… for a second time. I don't think anyone can say that." Cassie said.

"Well thanks for having faith in us, Cassie. It's always appreciated." AJ said as Cassie smiled and nodded, "I'll see you later. Don't be late." She told Punk, kissing him sweetly.

"Can I bring snacks?" He asked her as she shoved his face.

"Idiot." AJ scoffed, "Goodbye!" She called, leaving the kitchen and heading off to work.

"You don't actually wanna do this, do you?" Cassie asked Punk.

It had been a few weeks later. The shock of the incident that took place on the docks was starting to die down. Thea and Dominic were in the process of trying to move back to Chicago. Cassie was still on leave from the station but was hoping to be back soon after her review was finished. Jude and Sean were putting their focus onto getting everything ready for the baby coming in a month. All felt settled, but the struggles within all of them were still there.

"I do." Punk said, "I think it'll be fun."

"Fun? You're in your fifties, dad. You should be falling asleep on the couch. Not… going back to school." Cassie chuckled a little, "Unless… you're both doing this because you feel old." She wondered.

"That's not why we're doing it." Punk assured her, "It was your mom's idea and I think it's great."

"Why is she so desperate to do it? It's not like she's in a shit job. She's a frickin boss lady-"

"It's not about her job. It's about… her wanting to have gone through the high school process thing." Punk waved his hand, "She talked to me about it before everything happened with Thea and all that stuff. She said she was gonna ask me if I wanted to go with her and then… Thea's problem came to the surface and it got put on the back burner." Punk said.

"Oh." Cassie nodded slowly.

"Look, she might be mad that I'm telling you this but… your mom hasn't really done anything for herself in a long time. And she's not mad about it, but I know that she wishes maybe certain things had been different. I know she wishes her high school experience was different." He said, "And this is the first thing she's really doing for herself and not for me or for you girls." He nodded.

"Oh." Cassie said, "I… I guess I didn't think about it like that." She said, "She really wants to do this?"

"She does and… now that things have sort of calmed down, it's a good time, and I really wanna do it with her." He said, "Plus it's never too late to get an education." He nodded.

"Yeah, you're right." Cassie smiled, "You guys are sweet."

"I know we are." Punk nodded, closing the paper up, "Ok, I gotta go to work." He said, "You need to figure out your own dinner tonight because I will be at school." He nodded, tapping the paper off her head as she chuckled.

"Have a good day at school, dad." Cassie smiled, amused by that sentence coming out of her mouth.

"Later." Punk called, leaving the house as Cassie smiled to herself.

* * *

"They're going to school?" Jude questioned, standing in the nursery later on that day where Cassie and Thea were sitting on the floor, watching her paint.

"Yeah, well it's like night time classes." Cassie explained.

"That's kinda sad." Thea said.

"No it's not." Cassie shook her head, "Mom really wants to do it and… she never does things for herself." She said, "I think it's sweet actually."

"Yeah, I guess." Thea nodded, "You think they feel like they missed out? Because they didn't finish high school?" She asked her sisters.

"What's there to miss?" Jude scoffed, concentrating on her painting, having turned her baby daughter's nursery into a wildlife safari painting.

"Come on, high school was fun." Thea said.

"Yeah, to you, because you were popular." Jude nodded, "I couldn't wait to get out of there."

"I didn't mind it." Cassie shrugged.

"I wasn't popular." Thea shook her head.

"People knew your name. Yes you were." Jude scoffed, "I was called Jude the prude for four years in high school."

"Why?" Cassie scoffed.

"Because I didn't put out for some guy and then he went and told everyone or… word got around somehow." She said, "I just didn't want to have sex with him." She shook her head.

"Yeah we… definitely didn't not have the same high school experience." Thea nodded with shame, "Didn't you lose your V card to someone on the football team?" She asked.

"Yeah." Jude said, "He was kinda weird, though. Kept asking me if I was ok every two seconds." She rolled her eyes.

"Still… guy on the football team? Score. Literally." Thea said.

"Who did you lose it with?" Cassie turned to Thea who looked down.

"Jackson." Thea said quietly.

"You can say his name, don't worry." Jude assured her.

"No sex story will ever be as embarrassing as you throwing up on that guy's dick, though. That's still the greatest thing ever." Thea nodded to Cassie.

"What did he even say to you?" Jude laughed.

"He was fine." Cassie shrugged, "He felt all bad about it like… sorry I… almost choked you to death." She shook her head.

"You must have been putting in the work." Thea chuckled.

"Shut up." Cassie pushed her as Jude chuckled.

"You guys are supposed to be building the changing table." Jude said, kneeling down to continue her painting.

"We're having a break." Cassie said.

"A break from what? Looking at the instructions?" Jude shook her head.

"I forgot how good you were." Thea admitted, looking at the half-painted nursery which was pretty remarkable.

"Well we all can't be as talented as me." Jude said to them as they chuckled, "How is the house hunting going?" She asked Thea.

"Not great. We haven't come across anything we like yet." Thea said, "Good news is I manage to get my old placement back at the hospital."

"Well that is good." Cassie nodded, "It'll probably take some time to find a house that's right."

"Yeah, I know." Thea nodded, "What about you? When you back at work?"

"Not sure." Cassie said, "I mean I've done all the evaluations, the interviews, I'm kinda just waiting for them to give me the green light." She said, "I'm just dreading getting partnered up with someone new. It's just… it's gonna feel weird. Like I'm betraying Theo or something."

"Were you sleeping with him?" Thea asked.

"Thea." Jude turned around, "You can't… ask her that."

"Why not?" Thea said, "It's just a question."

"Yeah, I was." Cassie answered, "It was just… casual, I guess. Friends who had sex." She said, "Think I liked him, though. And… annoyingly, I think he liked me." She said as Thea sighed to herself.

"You don't have to forget about him, you know." Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie sighed, "It's just kinda difficult, especially when we didn't get to talk about how we felt. Makes you realise you gotta say how you feel and tell people you love them whilst they're here. You never know what could happen-"

"You loved him?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Cassie nodded, "He was just nice without being too nice, if you know what I mean. It was a good balance of being an idiot and being a really good person."

"Yeah, those guys are good." Thea nodded, "I wish we could have met him." She said.

"Yeah, me too." Cassie said, "You guys would have liked him." She nodded.

"So… Jude, what if she doesn't like animals?" Thea asked, "I mean, you got lions and bears… monkey's…" She looked around the nursery wall.

"You think she won't?" Jude asked worriedly as Thea laughed a little.

"I'm just kidding. She's only interested in sleeping and eating for the first few months anyway." Thea said.

"How painful is it?" Jude asked, "I asked mom and she was just like… oh, it's a little painful but it's over quickly and you'll be fine." She rolled her eyes, "I want a real answer."

"Oh, it's agony." Thea nodded, "Worst pain ever. Literally when I was having Sofia I thought my ass was gonna fall off." She said as Cassie turned to her.

"Why your ass?" Cassie asked.

"I don't know, there's a lot going on down there." Thea shook her head.

"I'm supposed doing it without any drugs." Jude said as Thea shook her head.

"Well that's just dumb. Take the drugs." Thea rolled her eyes.

"I didn't want to. I have a plan." Jude said, "I already have my bag packed."

"You're a month away from your due date." Cassie chuckled a little.

"Yeah but I wanna be prepared." Jude shrugged as Thea smiled.

"You're gonna be fine. Mom is right, it is over really quickly, if you're lucky." Thea nodded.

"You thought about names?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah we have one picked out." Jude smiled.

"Oh, tell us." Thea said.

"No." Jude shook her head possessively, "You'll find out when she's here." She said.

"Give us a clue. You're not naming her after some artist, are you?" Thea scoffed.

"No." Jude shook her head, "Ok, the name begins with an M."

"And which one of us are you giving her middle name to?" Cassie smiled.

"Actually…" Jude said, "Her middle name is gonna be April." She nodded.

"Oh, that's sweet. Mom will cry about that." Cassie said.

"You're a kiss ass." Thea scoffed as Jude chuckled.

"I'll come over there and paint your face." Jude warned.

"Yeah, it'll take you a while to get over here, fatty. I'm not scared." Thea said as Jude shook her head, turning back around as they chuckled.

* * *

"So you're off to school?" Dean laughed a little, heading away from the docks later that night after he and Punk's shift was over.

"Yeah, I got a class at 8pm. I'm meeting Ape there." Punk nodded, "It's ridiculous but I actually feel nervous."

"Why are you even doing this?" Dean chuckled, "I mean is it really gonna add anything to your life?"

"No, maybe not but… April wants to do it and I want to do it with her." Punk said, "She wants to do this for her and I think it's a good idea."

"Is she having a midlife crisis?" Dean assumed.

"What? No." Punk scoffed, "No, she's just… doing something for herself for once. She's always doing everything for everyone else. And she's not mad about that. It's not like she's resenting everyone but… I know how she feels. She's done the mom thing and they've all grown up. It's the first time I've ever heard her want to do something that benefits her and not the girls. And she asked me to come, so I'm gonna be there." He nodded.

"That's good, man." Dean nodded sincerely, patting him on the back, "So what kinda classes is it?"

"Well there's an English class which is the main one. I think Ape wants to take a language class and some other one." He said, "I'm just doing whatever she's doing."

"Hey, that's kinda what you actually did in high school." Dean nodded as Punk chuckled, "Well have fun. I hope you learn some stuff." He said as Punk chuckled.

"Yeah, thanks." Punk nodded, "I'll see you later." He said, watching as Dean headed off to his car whilst he headed to his own.

He got behind the wheel, pulling out his phone to check the address AJ had sent him where the class was being held, pausing when he saw the numbers of missed calls and missed text messages from Thea, text messages which read 'get to the hospital now' on it.

He immediately assumed it was Jude, but he knew she was still a month out from her due date which concerned him. He called Thea as he started the engine quickly, not getting an answer, speeding off on the quiet dark road.

He got to the hospital as quickly as he could, running out from the car and heading into the large building, "Hey, Marie." Punk rushed into reception. He knew some of the staff due to Thea having worked there.

"Third floor, room 302." Maria nodded to him as Punk rushed away. His mind was spinning too much to even question anything yet. His goal was to get to Jude as quickly as possible.

He got onto the floor he was directed to, following the rooms round, not even realising that he was not on the maternity floor. He realised it however when he saw Jude standing outside a room with Sean.

"What's going on?" Punk called down the hospital corridor as Jude lifted her head, looking down the corridor at him, "Huh? What's happened?" He asked, the closer he got he could see Jude had been crying.

"What's going on?" He questioned, opening up the room door and bursting in, pausing in shock.

"Dad, Thea tried calling you and texting you." Cassie said as Punk turned to Thea, looking back to Cassie who had puffy eyes.

Punk then turned and looked at all the machines in the room bleeping, oxygen going in and out. He walked over to the bed slowly, not really comprehending the sight he was seeing.

"April?" Punk shook his head, looking on at his wife lying in the hospital bed.


	32. April

**April**

* * *

"What happened?" Punk asked, standing beside the hospital bed in shock, not taking his eyes from his wife.

"It was a… car accident." Thea said, "The person in the other car didn't make it." She gulped as Punk closed his eyes, "They suspect she… has trauma to her head." She said, "Possible brain damage." She whispered as Punk ran his hands through his hair.

"Can everyone get out?" Punk asked.

"Dad." Cassie sighed.

"Please." Punk asked seriously as Thea looked over to Cassie, nodding to her.

"We'll be outside." Thea told him, taking Cassie and leaving the hospital room as Punk stood looking on at AJ who had an oxygen tube in her mouth.

"April." Punk sighed desperately, sitting down on the chair beside the bed, taking her hand in his, "Come on, don't… don't be doing this to me." He begged quietly, holding her hand with both of his, looking on at her lying peacefully still.

He'd never saw her in a vulnerable state like this. His mind couldn't quite comprehend that she was actually lying in front of him like this. It was like his mind refused to digest what he was seeing.

He'd never wanted more to see her huge brown eyes than he did right now. The desperation was unreal. He was in complete shock and disbelief.

He listened as the hospital door opened up, turning around as he saw a doctor walking in.

"Mr Brooks?" The doctor, Paul asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded to him.

"I'm Doctor Burns. Or… just call me Paul." He said softly as Punk nodded to her, "I've been talking to your oldest daughter about your wife's condition but she… she asked if I would come in and talk to you about it too."

"What happened?" Punk whispered, looking on at AJ, feeling like he couldn't take his eyes from her.

"Your wife was in a car accident tonight. A bad collision at a crossroads. Unfortunately we lost the other person in the other car." He said, "Your wife suffered tremendous impact to her head. So much so that she stopped receiving oxygen to the brain for… quite some time. We've managed to stabilise her for now. We'll be doing scans over the course of the next few days-"

"When can she wake up?" Punk asked desperately as the doctor looked across at him.

"Sir, your wife is in a medically induced coma." He clarified as Punk turned to him, "For her own safety to prevent any more swelling on the brain. We don't want the blood flow to the brain to be constricted right now." He said.

"But she'll wake up soon, right?" Punk nodded as the doctor looked at him.

"She's in the best place right now to be treated and helped." Paul said, "But the brain can be unpredictable."

"The fuck does that mean?" Punk stood up. Sometimes the teenage boy who wasn't raised properly just came out, especially in instances like this.

"It means we don't know for sure when she'll wake up." Paul made clear.

"So like… sometime tonight?" Punk nodded. He needed that assurance. He needed it desperately.

"Sir, would you like me to get one of your daughters?" Paul asked him as Punk shook his head.

"No." Punk said, sitting back down, pulling his chair in as close to the bed as possible, taking AJ's hand back in his, "No, just leave me alone with her." He shook his head. He was no fool. He knew what he was hearing. He could hear the concern and passiveness in the doctor's voice. He knew this wasn't good. Of course it wasn't. His wife was barely breathing on her own. It was just hard to accept it.

"If you have any questions for me please don't be afraid to ask." Paul nodded, "I'd like to talk further with you about April's injuries she's sustained." He said as Punk just looked at AJ. He'd heard enough to know it wasn't good, "I'll leave you alone for now." He said, slipping out of the hospital room.

Punk took a deep breath, looking down as he held AJ's hand clasped in his against his mouth, praying to a God he didn't believe in. Having been with his wife for almost forty years, this was his ultimate fear, something he really couldn't describe to anyone. A nightmare. Worse than a nightmare.

"I think your father needs some time on his own right now. I doubt he'll take in much information from me." Paul spoke to Thea who nodded.

"Yeah, just give him a bit of time." Thea nodded whilst Cassie and Jude sat on the chairs outside with Sean standing by.

"We'll be monitoring your mother very closely over the course of the next few days. The swelling on her brain has actually gone down a little but… not enough to show any dramatic change." He said as Thea nodded, trying to be the one who took all the information in.

"Uh… do you… do you have any idea when she could wake up?" Thea asked.

"I don't have a definite answer for you." Paul said as Thea just nodded, "She's in good hands, I promise you." He said before walking off.

"Why do I feel like they're not telling us things?" Cassie asked.

"Because they're probably not." Thea shook her head, "She's in coma. I don't think there's much they can tell us, to be fair." She said as Jude leaned her head back against the wall, all of their eyes puffy and red from the initial tears of shock and sadness upon seeing their mother in such a bad condition.

"You're a nurse. You know all about this stuff, don't you?" Jude asked Thea.

"I don't specialise in neurology." Thea shook her head, "I just know they only put people in medically induced comas when it's bad." She said, "When they're close to…" She paused, realising she didn't need to tell her sisters that sort of information. But there wasn't much she could say to make this better. They were all in shock and disbelief in their own ways.

Their mother was one of the most important people in their lives. When no one else was there for them, she was. It had always been the one constant thing in all of their lives, and that was no dig upon their father, it was just the way it had been.

"Someone should see if your dad is ok." Sean sighed to himself.

"I'll go." Thea nodded, walking back into the hospital room, looking over at her father sitting at the edge of her mother's bed, holding her hand tightly, "Dad." She said softly.

"Can you just… tell me I'm dreaming? I'm just… I'm hoping I wake up soon." Punk nodded to himself as Thea looked over at him.

"Dad." She sighed, walking over to him, wrapping her arms around him from the side as he leaned against his daughter's arm and cried.

* * *

"_Mom?" Sixteen year old AJ walked into her house after getting home from school, "Mom, are you home?" She asked, walking through to the living room, looking over at the guns and money on the coffee table. It wasn't a sight that scared her. It was normal. Her life._

"_Kitchen, April." Janet called as AJ walked out of the living room, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen where her mother was cooking dinner. Her home life was very confused. On the one hand, it was chaos, criminal and completely unsafe. But then there was also the homely parts to it, like her mother cooking dinner pretending everything was normal._

"_Hey." AJ said._

"_Hi, sweetheart." Janet nodded, "God, you went to school looking like that?" She laughed a little._

"_What's wrong with this?" AJ questioned, looking at her denim overalls._

"_What are you? Five?" Janet scoffed, "And you gotta wash that hair, April. It looks greasy."_

"_I washed it last night." AJ narrowed her brows at her mother, dumping her school bag on the kitchen table._

"_How was school?" Janet asked her._

"_Well I'm failing biology." AJ shook her head._

"_Oh, well we can't be good at everything." Janet said, unbothered._

"_Do you know there's guns just sitting on the table in the living room?" AJ questioned. _

"_Oh, yeah your dad is dealing with it." Janet nodded._

"_Dealing with what?" AJ shook her head._

"_Nothing you need to be concerned about." Janet assured her as AJ shook her head. Her family like to pretend they were protecting her from things, but in reality, they exposed all of it to her right in front of her eyes, and as a young girl growing up, it was hard not to take notice and let that affect her._

"_Well I kinda do when they're just sitting around like that." AJ shook her head, "Hey do you have money I could have to get the bus tonight?"_

"_The bus where?" Janet asked._

"_Just… to see a friend." AJ shrugged._

"_A boy friend?" Janet smiled._

"_It's none of your business." AJ said._

"_Yeah whatever, take it from my purse." Janet said. _

"_I'll be home by 11." AJ assured her._

"_I don't care when you come home." Janet laughed a little, walking out of the kitchen as AJ paused. She often wondered if her mother really didn't care about her safety and whereabouts. It was hard to feel loved and cared about in an environment like the one she was raised in. _

_She neglected her homework and went into her mother's purse, opening up her wallet and pausing when she saw no money in it. She sighed to herself and put the wallet back into the purse. She knew better than to take the money from the coffee table, so she figured it was up to herself to get the money somehow._

_She left the house, heading down the street and waiting at the bus stop, looking beside her at the older lady standing, "Excuse me? Could you tell me when the next bus is?" She asked, moving closer to the lady, close enough to stick her hand in her pocket without her noticing._

"_In five minutes." The lady smiled politely as AJ nodded, managing to take money from her pocket._

"_Thank you." AJ smiled politely, stuffing the money into her own pocket._

_The bus eventually came as AJ got onto the bus, paying for her ticket and taking a seat, watching with shame as she saw the older lady looking in her pockets for her money, having to step off the bus as she couldn't pay for her ticket._

_She looked the other way, putting her hood up and slouching down on the bus seat. Sometimes shame was all she felt that she started to block it out, which put her in a very dangerous and confident state of mind, where she felt like she could do and get away with anything, just to survive and do what she had to do._

_She got off the bus after a few stops, walking down the street with her hood up, making her way down the hill into a motel block. She climbed up the stairs and walked along the strip of room doors, eventually coming to one and knocking on it._

_She watched as the room door opened up, smiling as she felt him pull her into the room by the hand._

"_Hi." AJ laughed a little._

"_Hi." Punk smiled happily, leaning down and kissing her as he kicked the door closed. _

_She no longer felt sad about her parents not caring about her coming home, because that no longer felt like her home anyway. He was her home. _


	33. Sister

**Sister**

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Dean appeared, walking down the hospital corridor with his hands out, "Huh?" He asked.

"Mom was in a car accident." Thea explained as Dean shook his head in disbelief, "She's… in a coma." She sighed, "She was… coming home from work and… I don't know exactly where it happened but… it was a crossroads and someone crashed into the side of her. The guy in the other car… died at the scene." She said as Dean screwed his face up in disbelief.

"Well what… what are her injuries? What-What is the doctor saying?" Dean panicked, looking over at Jude and Cassie who were sitting, distressed, tears overcoming them in waves as they sat outside their mother's hospital room.

"Well they've done scans and they're waiting for the results. There was a loss of blood flow to her brain so she… had a lot of swelling there. They might need to perform surgery again if any blood clots show up on the scans-"

"Fuck sake." Dean muttered, "Where is your dad?"

"He's in the room." Thea said, "He's not gonna move from there." She warned him as Dean nodded.

"Are you guys ok?" Dean asked, hugging Thea tightly as Thea hugged him back.

"I don't think so." Thea whispered. It was very surreal to have their mother in this critical condition. She was someone they all couldn't lose. Someone they all needed, even in their older years. It was unimaginable to think of the worst right now.

"She's… she's in the right place." Dean nodded, hugging her tightly, looking over to Jude and Cassie, "Come here, you two." He said, watching as they came over, getting a big hug from their uncle, "It's gonna be ok." He promised them, hugging Jude and Cassie tightly as Thea stepped back.

"Dad isn't talking to any of the doctors." Cassie told Dean, "He's not listening to any of the information." She said as Dean nodded, placing his hands on their shoulders.

"I'll go see him." Dean nodded to them, walking by them and into the hospital room where Punk was still sitting by AJ's bedside.

Dean paused at the door for a second, looking on at AJ and feeling a pain in his chest, it physically hurting to see someone he cared about in such a vulnerable condition.

"Phil." Dean said as Punk turned around, "Hey, man." Dean sighed, walking over to his brother as Punk stood up, wrapping his arms around his brother tightly as Dean hugged him back tightly, "What the fuck is going on?" Dean shook his head in disbelief, looking on at AJ over Punk's shoulder, noticing the oxygen tube attached to her mouth helping her breathe.

"She uh… she's in a coma." Punk pulled back from the hug, rubbing his eyes as Dean stepped back a little.

"Thea said." Dean nodded, "Have they… Have they told you anything about the actual injuries?" Dean asked, walking around the bed to the other side, leaning over and kissing AJ's head softly.

"No, I… I haven't really spoken to many doctors." Punk shook his head as Dean looked over at him. He could see his brother was still in shock and disbelief, "She'll wake up." He nodded to himself, sitting down on the chair as Dean looked over at him.

"Phil, you gotta talk to the doctors, man." Dean said, "You gotta know what's going on-"

"She'll wake up soon." Punk nodded to himself.

"She's in a coma." Dean made clear as Punk looked at him, "She was in a car wreck. The other driver is dead. You need to know what's going on with her head, Phil." Dean emphasised.

"You look me in the eye and tell me she doesn't know how to fight." Punk said as Dean looked over at him, putting his hands on his hips.

"She's taken impact to the head, Phil." Dean said, "And the girls are out there dealing with the doctors. You gotta talk to them." He said.

"I… I don't-"

"Because you don't wanna hear what they have to say?" Dean assumed.

"No, because I know my wife better than any doctor." Punk said, "And I know she'll be fine. She's always fighting. She's the best fighter I know." He said, taking AJ's hand as Dean looked over.

"This isn't about fighting." Dean said, "Phil, she's not in a good way. Look at her. You see the oxygen tube, right?" He asked him.

"Yes I see it." Punk looked up at Dean.

"You need to talk to the doctors." Dean said, "And you need to go talk to your daughters. This is their mom." He reminded him. He knew his brother, probably better than anyone, and he knew that when things got hard sometimes he liked to shut off from everyone, even his children. But right now the girls needed him.

"The doctor said she's… she's stable. She's stable for now." Punk said, holding AJ's hand.

"You need to know what's going on. You can't just sit here and blank it out." Dean said, sitting down by the bed and looking at AJ. She was absolutely his sister. No question about it. And this was as painful as ever.

* * *

"_What are you doing?" Dean shook his head, walking into AJ's kitchen where he saw her baking some sort of cake, "Poisoning your children?" He teased, watching as she slammed the oven door shut, throwing the oven towel over angrily, "Stress baking?" He wondered._

"_Jude has a bake sale at school so I am baking." AJ said dramatically, "Because apparently all the mom's from the PTA group said no store bought cakes this year so I have to actually bake something with my own two hands." She said as Dean nodded slowly._

"_And this is a problem because?" Dean waited._

"_It's a problem because I haven't slept in probably thirty hours. Cassie doesn't sleep. She just… doesn't sleep." AJ shrugged._

"_Where is she right now?" Dean asked._

"_Well… she's sleeping." AJ said as Dean looked across at her with confusion, "She doesn't sleep when she's supposed to." AJ rephrased, "It's Thea's birthday on Sunday and I haven't even gotten her a gift yet." She said, throwing dishes into the sink aggressively as Dean watched with concern._

"_Well I can pick something up for you if you want." Dean said, "You really haven't slept in over thirty hours?"_

"_Something like that." AJ shook her head. That was just normal for her. Juggling between a baby who wouldn't sleep, an infant who had a lot of school demands and a teenager who was slowly but surely slipping away from her… things weren't particularly looking up for her at the minute. And her husband being in prison wasn't helping._

"_April, you gotta sleep." Dean shook his head._

"_No, what I have to do is bake Jude a cake for her to take to school tomorrow." AJ nodded almost robotically, "And I have to make Cassie a bottle up because she's gonna wake up soon." She predicted._

"_You know this isn't healthy, right?" Dean said._

"_What isn't healthy?" AJ turned to him._

"_This. Not sleeping, running around after the girls like a headless chicken-"_

"_In case you haven't noticed, Dean… I don't really have a choice." AJ said. She had underestimated just how much her husband helped out with raising their children. How much they worked together as a team at things. With him gone, she felt like half of herself was missing._

"_You still have me around." Dean reminded her as she looked across at him, "I'm still here." He emphasised as she looked at him._

"_You… don't have time to help me." AJ shook her head._

"_I do have time." Dean said, "You're not on your own with this stuff." He wanted her to know._

"_I have never felt more alone in my entire life." AJ admitted to him, "Seriously, I… I can't take it anymore. I am… constantly exhausted. And I miss Phil… I hate being here on my own." She cried as Dean sighed to himself, "I hate it." She cried._

"_I know." Dean sighed, walking over to her, wrapping his arms around her._

"_No, I don't want a hug." AJ cried, trying to push him away._

"_Just shut up." Dean sighed, hugging her tighter as AJ hugged into him._

"_I don't think I can do this on my own." AJ cried._

"_You're not alone." Dean reminded her, kissing her head, "You're gonna go upstairs and get into bed. I will finish baking this cake and then I'll crash on the couch. If Cassie cries, I'll get her. And then I'll take the girls to school in the morning." He said._

"_Dean, you have your own kids to look after-"_

"_Yeah and these are my nieces." Dean said, "I can spread myself between everyone if I have to." He assured her as AJ sighed to herself._

"_Thank you." AJ whispered as he hugged her tightly, "I can't stop thinking about him in there." She shook her head._

"_I know." Dean sighed, "I know." Dean nodded, "You need to sleep." He said, pulling back from the hug, "Just go put your head down, I'll be here." He promised her as she nodded._

"_Ok." She said, "Ok." She nodded, slowly walking by him tiredly and heading upstairs as Dean sighed to himself._

_He walked over to the oven and opened up the door, pausing when he noticed AJ hadn't even put the cake mix into a tray, instead she'd just put the bowl into the oven, no doubt due to how exhausted and out of her mind she was._

_He took the bowl out and poured the mix into a tray, sliding it back into the oven and tidying the kitchen up, on stand-by for Cassie crying if need be._

* * *

"Are the girls still out there?" Punk asked Dean.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, "They aren't really saying much." He said as Punk nodded to himself.

"What do I say to them?" Punk's voice broke, looking over at Dean who sighed to himself.

"You just tell them it's gonna be ok." Dean said, "And that you're there for each other." He said, "And that their mom is the strongest badass there is." He nodded as Punk sighed to himself, holding AJ's hand tightly.

"She's the one who is good with the words." Punk gulped.

"Then think about what she would want you to say to them." Dean nodded as Punk looked across at him, nodding slowly.

"I should… I should go talk to the doctors too." He thought to himself. The more he sat watching his wife in such a still state, the more he wanted to believe in the fantasy of her waking up any minute, but he knew that was unhealthy and no doubt unrealistic.

"I'll stay here." Dean nodded to him.

"Ok." Punk said, standing up from the chair and heading out of the room whilst Dean sat with AJ, kissing her hand.

Punk walked out of the hospital room, looking over at the girls sitting over at the waiting area. It was another one of those moments where nothing he could say could make anything better, so he imagined what his wife would want him to say.

"Hey, you three." Punk gulped, walking over to them as Thea stood up, "You guys ok?" He asked them as none of them answered, "Yeah, me neither." He nodded, "Look, it's… it's gonna be ok." He nodded, "We'll get through this. Your mom will… get through this." He nodded, "She's the toughest woman I know." He said as they all looked at him.

"What if she doesn't wake up?" Cassie cried as Thea wrapped an arm around her.

"She will." Punk said, "It's mom. She loves… having people wait around on her." He nodded, "She's just tormenting us." He attempted to joke, trying to do anything to calm them all down, "We're gonna get through this. She will get through this." Punk nodded, wrapping his arm around Jude who he could see was crying, "Come here." He sighed, wrapping his arms around the three of them.

For the first time, he got a slight taster of what his wife went through whilst he was absent, and it made him realise just how strong a person she really was.


	34. Reality

**Reality**

* * *

"Did you speak to the doctor?" Thea asked, watching as her father came back down the corridor after going to look for AJ's doctor.

"Yeah… yeah, I spoke with him." Punk nodded, "They've looked at the CT scans and there's still a sign of swelling to her brain." He explained, trying to remember everything the doctor had told him. It was hard to take in information, "The reason they put her in a coma is to prevent any secondary damage to the brain. So she's… she's not in any pain." He made clear as they nodded.

"Did he say how long she might be like that?" Thea asked.

"An induced coma shouldn't be for longer than four weeks." Punk said, "But… he kept saying the brain is unpredictable over and over again." He shook his head with a lack of confidence.

"Four weeks?" Jude questioned as Punk nodded.

"Yeah and she's… she's not just gonna wake up and be fine. I want you girls to know that." He said. He wasn't going to baby them. They were all grown woman.

"What do you mean?" Cassie shook her head.

"The doctor said that waking up from a coma is a gradual thing. She might wake up a little and… still be unresponsive." He said, "Their main priority is keeping the swelling down in her brain." He said, looking at all three of them. He'd never saw them look so scared before, "He also said there should only be two people up here with her so… I want the three of you to go home." He nodded.

"What? Are you kidding?" Thea shook her head.

"Look, she's stable for now-"

"I don't care. I'm not going anywhere." Thea shook her head.

"Me neither." Jude shook her head.

"I'm not." Cassie added as Punk looked at all three of them.

"We all can't be waiting around here. She's stable and… the condition she's in right now won't change tonight or even tomorrow." He made clear to them. He could see they were all hoping out for their mother to wake tonight, but after speaking with the doctor, he knew that wouldn't happen, "I want the three of you to go home." He said.

"You… need to call us if something happens." Thea warned her father.

"I will." Punk assured her, giving her a hug as Thea held him tightly. He moved onto Jude, hugging her tightly, "You ok?" He asked her.

"I'm scared." Jude frowned, leaning her chin on Punk's shoulder as he hugged her tightly.

"I know." Punk sighed softly, rubbing her back, "We're gonna be ok, though." He whispered, "You go home and get some sleep. Rest that baby." He warned her with a smile. Right now he had to be dad. He couldn't be worried out of his mind husband. He had to be there for his girls.

"I can stay with you if you want." Cassie said as Punk shook his head.

"No, Dean is here with me. I'll be fine." Punk assured her, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly.

Meanwhile Thea had gone into her mother's room, looking over where Dean was sat beside her.

"Is your dad out there?" Dean wondered.

"Yeah, he's just back from talking to the doctor." Thea said as Dean nodded, "Uh… we're gonna go. There should only be two people here so my dad wants us three to go home." She said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, I think you should. She's… she's stable right now." Dean nodded as Thea sighed to herself, walking over to the bed.

She sat down on the chair by the bed, taking her mother's hand and looking at her with teary eyes.

"She never left my side when I was in hospital." Thea said. It was all she could think about. At a time where she felt lost and broken, like she didn't have anything worth going on for, her mother was there sitting by her bed every day and night.

She'd sat with her whilst she cried, helped feed her when her tremors wouldn't allow herself to do so, help her change her clothes. There was nothing anyone could do in her life that could come close to how much her mother had done for her. She truly believed she may not have even been here without her. To see the strong woman who was always there for her, suddenly so vulnerable and in physical danger… it was hard to take in.

* * *

"_Hi, sweetie. How you feeling?" A nurse walked into the hospital room where nineteen year old AJ was sat up in bed holding newborn Thea._

"_Tired." AJ nodded, "She's very loud." She said, looking down at Thea in her arms, so tiny and precious._

"_Yeah? Her lungs working good?" The nurse, Kerry asked as AJ nodded._

"_Yeah, real good." AJ laughed a little, "Why do I think her eyelids are cute? Is that normal? Who the hell thinks eyelids are cute?" AJ shook her head as Kerry chuckled._

"_Everything is cute on babies." Kerry assured her, "Especially when it's your own." She said, changing some machinery in AJ's room, "And she is a very cute baby."_

"_Yeah she is." AJ nodded to herself. She couldn't be grateful enough for the nursing staff who had helped her with one of the most amazing yet terrifying things in her life, especially when she was on her own._

"_So you should be all good to be discharged in the morning." Kerry nodded to her, looking at AJ's files on a clipboard, "Little Thea is perfect and you're doing good."_

"_It's like you want rid of me." AJ said as Kerry smiled._

"_It's like a revolving door in here." Kerry said, "You'll have a few visits from the health visitor to check on Thea, and you. Your health is just as important as hers right now." Kerry nodded, "How are things… down there?" She asked._

"_Well I cried whilst peeing last night." AJ nodded as Kerry smiled sympathetically._

"_First week is tough but… you're young and healthy. And you've done so great." Kerry smiled as AJ nodded._

"_I am holding her the right way, right?" AJ nodded. She was incredibly anxious about being a mother, especially when she was pretty much on her own. She didn't want to be a disappointment to her baby girl._

"_The second I put her on your chest you knew exactly how to hold her." Kerry nodded, "You're doing good." She assured her as AJ nodded to herself, looking down at sleeping Thea with a smile._

"_She has so much hair. I love it." AJ shook her head as Kerry smiled. She only wished Punk was here to see this. Even with all the hurt he had caused her, this moment felt like it was on another world. It was a moment she wished he was here to see. _

"_Sometimes it falls out so… don't be alarmed." Kerry said as AJ nodded, "Will someone be coming to pick you both up?" She wondered as AJ turned to her._

"_Uh… no, no I'll just be leaving on my own." AJ said as Kerry nodded slowly._

"_There's no one you can call to help you?" Kerry wondered._

"_No." AJ said quietly, "No, I'll be fine on my own." She said as Kerry nodded._

"_Well do you have the carrier?" Kerry asked._

"_Oh, no… I don't have a car so… I won't need it." AJ shrugged._

"_We… can't let you leave the hospital without having the baby in a carrier." Kerry said as AJ looked up at her. _

"_What? No one told me that." AJ shook her head worriedly. _

"_Don't worry, I will… find you one." Kerry nodded to her, "And I will drive you home in the morning and help you."_

"_You don't have to." AJ scoffed, "I'll be fine."_

"_I'd like to." Kerry said as AJ nodded. It wasn't a patronising sympathy sort of help she had gotten from the nurses. It was a genuine kindness from good woman who encouraged her and supported her through a very challenging thing, especially at such a young age. She was eternally grateful._

"_Thank you." AJ nodded as Kerry smiled, leaving the room and closing the door behind her._

_AJ turned to Thea in her arms, sitting up in the bed and looking down at her, tracing her finger over her fine eyebrows._

"_It's just you and me, baby." AJ whispered, leaning down and kissing her head softly._

* * *

"Are the girls gone?" Dean asked, watching his brother walking into the hospital room.

"Yeah, that's them gone." Punk nodded, coming from saying goodbye to his daughters, which took long as suspected due to their necessary hugs and reassurance, "I don't want them waiting around here all day and night." He shook his head.

"And you shouldn't be either." Dean said.

"I'm not going anywhere." Punk said calmly, sitting back down by AJ's bed, taking her hand in his.

"You speak to the doctors?" Dean asked him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "I spoke to him. There's still a lot swelling in her brain. They need to get that down within the next couple days. They need to." He emphasised as Dean nodded, "But… she's not in any pain so…" He nodded to himself. It was important to him that his wife wasn't in any sort of pain or discomfort.

"It's so… weird seeing her like this." Dean shook his head, "So still and quiet." He chuckled a little as Punk smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I prefer hearing her voice." Punk nodded to himself as Dean looked over, "I need her to wake up." Punk whispered desperately.

"She will." Dean nodded, "It's April. She loves challenges." He said as Punk sighed to himself.

"Why is it now that I start thinking about all the shit I've put her through?" Punk asked himself. As suspected, his brain was spinning with so much thoughts and worries, but all he could think about was all the things he'd done wrong, things that had impacted his wife.

"Because you're scared." Dean said, "When we're scared we think of all kinds of stuff." He said, "You're way beyond feeling guilty for all of that stuff, though, Phil. This is bad enough without you torturing yourself."

"We were supposed to be going to that class tonight." Punk said, "She wanted to do it. She wanted to do something for herself." He shook his head, "Instead of cleaning up after me or the girls all her life-"

"She'd slap you for saying that. You know that's not how she feels." Dean warned him, "She loves you and she loves the girls. That's her world. This class was probably just a hobby she wanted to do. The girls are grown up and maybe she just wanted to spend some time with you and do something fun." He said, "And I'm sure you guys will get to do it at some point." He nodded confidently. He knew he had to keep his brother in a positive mind frame.

"I can't lose her." Punk shook his head. As more time went by, the more it began to sink in that his wife was in a very bad way. He'd never seen her like this before. It broke his heart.

"You won't." Dean said, "I mean… it's April. She doesn't give up. Certainly not on you." He said as Punk nodded, "I'm gonna go get a coffee. You want one?" He stood up.

"No, I'm fine." Punk said as Dean nodded, walking out of the hospital room as Punk sat in the silence, looking on at AJ, holding her hand tightly, never wanting to let go, "Come on, Ape." He whispered desperately, kissing her hand, vowing to never leave her side through all of this. He wasn't going anywhere.


	35. Hey Jude

**Hey Jude**

* * *

"Hey, you ok?" Sean sighed, guiding Jude through to their kitchen after they got home from the hospital. He'd been with his girlfriend for long enough to know just how important her mother was to her. She was Jude's go to, and on some level, her best friend. If not afforded with a mother, she was the type of woman one would wish to have a mother like.

"I don't know." Jude said, a little disoriented as she walked into the kitchen.

"You want some tea?" Sean asked her, "Or some food?"

"No… no, I'm not hungry." Jude shook her head, sitting down at the table slowly, "Where's my phone?" She panicked.

"I've got it." Sean assured her, taking it out of his pocket, "Here you go." He passed over to her as Jude took the phone and looked at it to make sure she hadn't missed any calls or messages on the way home.

"Where's Cassie and Thea?" Jude asked.

"They're staying at your mom and dad's. Dominic and the kids are there." Sean said, "We'll go see your mom in the morning, ok? You need to get some sleep. It's almost 4am."

"I'm not even tired." Jude shook her head as Sean sat down beside her, "I'm not." She insisted.

"You're just in shock." Sean nodded, rubbing her arm softly, "Once your head hits the pillow you'll pass out." He said, "You need your rest, Jude."

"I need my mom." Jude corrected stressfully as Sean sighed to himself, "She's not supposed to get hurt." She shook her head with tears in her eyes.

"They have her in a stable condition. That's a good thing right now. She's not in any pain and she's getting the care she needs." Sean assured her, "Her head just needs some time to heal, baby. Just look at that way. She's healing whilst she's out of it." He nodded, drying her tears for her.

"She's always there for us." Jude shook her head, "It was always her. I-I love my dad but… for the longest time he wasn't there. And it was just her." Jude said, "I don't know what I would do without her." Jude said with confusion. She really didn't. She was haunted by the sudden change in her life with her mother being hurt. Things felt so wrong without her being a phone call away.

"She'll wake up." Sean nodded, "She's gonna wake up, baby. She just needs a bit of time." He said as Jude nodded, drying her tears and hugging into him tightly. This was a different kind of scared she'd never felt before. It was hollow and weighed her down heavy. Like nothing would ever feel right again. Her mother was just someone she absolutely couldn't lose.

* * *

"_It's a girl." The nurse announced, placing a squealing baby girl onto AJ's chest as AJ cried with a smile on her face._

"_Oh my god." Punk leaned over, standing beside the bed, looking on at the screaming baby girl who had just made her entrance into the world. He'd missed out on this with Thea, so it was an extra-large rollercoaster ride for him, so much so it brought unexpected tears to his eyes._

"_It's a girl." AJ smiled, feeling the newborn baby against her chest, the most fulfilling feeling in the world, turning to Punk and cupping his cheek as he smiled._

"_Yeah, look… she's here." Punk said in a high pitched voice as AJ chuckled through her tears._

"_She is." AJ nodded. It really was like everything in the room had been blacked out, and it was just the two of them with their new baby girl, who was as beautiful as ever._

"_She's got so much stuff on her but she's still the best thing I've ever seen." Punk shook his head with confusion which caused a few of the nurses in the background to laugh._

"_She's amazing." AJ shook her head, looking on at the baby girl in her arms. Her heart full just at the sight of her. _

"_I'm so proud of you." Punk shook his head in awe, beyond amazed at everything he had just witnessed, and beyond proud to have another beautiful daughter, "Hey Jude." Punk whispered, leaning over as AJ chuckled._

"_I love you so much." AJ cupped his cheek, "So much." She shook her head, tears of happiness still rolling._

"_I love you too." Punk shook his head, leaning in and kissing her passionately whilst their little bundle wriggled between them._

_AJ pulled back from the kiss, looking down at baby Jude and gasping, "She's just so beautiful." AJ shook her head, "And she looks like Thea." She smiled as Punk nodded._

"_She does." Punk smiled, kissing her head, sitting down beside her on the bed, "I literally can't look away from her." He shook his head with awe, looking down at Jude who was looking up at them, having the tiniest of everything, "Hey Jude." Punk whispered again as AJ smiled._

"_She's gonna hate that." AJ shook her head as Punk chuckled._

"_I don't care." He smiled sweetly, "She's my little Hey Jude." He said as AJ smiled._

"_Yeah, she is." AJ smiled. Her heart was full of wonder. Wonder of what this baby girl would grow up to be like. Who she would grow up to be like. She promised herself she would always protect her from everything. That she would put everything including herself, behind her needs. _

* * *

"_What's wrong?" AJ asked, looking down at eight year old Jude, dropping her at school, noticing her daughter slightly unenthusiastic and unhappy to be heading into school._

"_Mom, come on! I'm gonna be late." Fourteen year old Thea called out from the car, hanging out the window._

"_In a minute." AJ waved her hand, looking down at Jude who wasn't saying much. She wasn't a chatty kid. She went about her business and didn't really have much to say at the best of times, "What's wrong, baby?" AJ shook her head._

"_I don't want to go in." Jude looked up at her._

"_Why not?" AJ asked, brushing her hand through Jude's hair._

"_People are being mean to me." Jude told her as AJ sighed to herself._

"_Who?" AJ shook her head._

"_Some girls." Jude said, holding onto the straps of her backpack, "They call me weird."_

"_Baby, don't you listen to them." AJ shook her head, crouching down in front of Jude._

"_But they say it all the time." Jude huffed dramatically, "And they don't let me play tig with everyone." She sighed, "So I have to stand on my own." She said, "Why are they being mean to me?" She asked her mother desperately as AJ sighed to herself. _

"_I don't know, sweetie. Sometimes people can be mean and… there's no reason for it." AJ said, "But you just can't listen to them. You are so beautiful and smart and amazing." She nodded, "You're literally one of my favourite people ever."_

"_Ever?" Jude asked._

"_Ever." AJ nodded, "And it's because you're you, and I love you." She said, "There's nothing wrong with being different. And liking different things. Normal is so boring. That's what daddy would say." She nodded. _

"_No, I told daddy when I visited him in the room and he said I should hit them." Jude said as AJ widened her eyes._

"_No, baby. You don't have to hit anyone." AJ pleaded, taking Jude's hands into hers, "Please… don't hit anyone." She said nervously, "You know what's better than hitting someone? Or saying mean things back to them?" She asked._

"_What?" Jude asked._

"_If you just ignore it." AJ nodded, "Because those kids will get fed up, and you'll be the badass who isn't fazed by anything." She said as Jude smiled a little, "Do you trust mommy?"_

"_Yes." Jude nodded._

"_Then I promise you, what they have to say doesn't matter." AJ said, "And you shouldn't believe anything that comes out of their mouths." She said, "Because it's not true."_

"_Mom!" Thea called from the car, "Cassie is crying!" She called on behalf of her two year old sister, sitting in her carrier. _

"_Come here, Thea. Bring Cassie." AJ called over, "Let's get a second opinion." AJ smiled, playfully bopping Jude's nose and standing up straight._

"_Mom, I'm gonna be so late." Thea shook her head, getting out of the car, carrying two year old Cassie over to her mother._

"_Thea, when people say mean things to you, do you believe them?" AJ asked, taking Cassie from Thea, making wide eyes and nodding to Jude as Thea turned to Jude._

"_No, of course I don't." Thea shook her head, "Is someone being mean to you?" She asked Jude protectively. _

"_They call me weird." Jude frowned as Thea turned to AJ with concern._

"_So what if you're weird?" Thea shrugged, "I'm weird. We're all weird." She shook her head as Thea looked up at her big sister, "I'd rather be weird than boring, right?" She turned to AJ._

"_Right." AJ nodded along._

"_Kids say mean things all the time, Jude. You don't gotta listen to them." Thea said. She could tease her sister all day long, but when it came to other people, they absolutely were not allowed to tease and bully her sister, "You have your friends, right?"_

"_Yeah." Jude nodded._

"_And me and mom think you're pretty cool. Don't we?" Thea turned to AJ who nodded._

"_Oh, the coolest." AJ nodded, "Cassie thinks you're cool too." She said, turning to the two year old in her arms who was watching everyone going by her._

"_Cassie barely talks." Jude informed them both._

"_Well if she could talk more I bet she'd say wow Jude is so cool." Thea nodded as Jude smiled a little._

"_Promise me you won't care what other people think of you, baby." AJ said, "You're so amazing."_

"_You are." Thea agreed._

"_Ok." Jude nodded to them. She trusted her mother and sister the most in her life, so if they thought she was amazing, that was all she needed to know._

"_Ok." AJ smiled, "You go learn tons and have the best day." AJ nodded._

"_Little weirdo." Thea winked as Jude smiled, "Go on." She said as Jude nodded, running off into school as AJ watched her with a smile._

"_Fuck them kids." AJ shook her head as Thea nodded._

"_I didn't know she was being teased." Thea said, walking back to the car with her mother whilst Cassie clung around AJ._

"_Neither did I." AJ shook her head, "She told your dad, though."_

"_She tells him everything." Thea rolled her eyes, "What'd he say about it?"_

"_That she should hit them." AJ scoffed. It was a Punk answer she wasn't shocked about._

"_Of course he did." Thea chuckled lightly. _

"_Can you get her back into her seat." AJ said, passing Cassie over to Thea who nodded, "Thanks for helping me out there." She nodded._

"_That's ok." Thea said, "I'm the only one that's allowed to tease her." She said as AJ nodded with a smile._


	36. Cassie

**Cassie**

* * *

"Stop looking at the phone." Cassie said, sitting at the kitchen table with Thea who was constantly looking at her phone in front of her, "You heard dad, and the doctors, her condition isn't gonna change tonight." She said.

"But what if it does and we're not there?" Thea asked.

"The hospital is ten minutes away. We'll get there." Cassie nodded.

"I just… I can't believe it." Thea shook her head, "It's like you don't expect anything bad to happen to her. She's just… she's mom. She's supposed to be around all the time." Thea said, tears in her eyes as Cassie nodded.

"She'll wake up." Cassie said, "She's only in the coma to help her. To keep her brain from any further damage." She said as Thea nodded.

"A coma still isn't good, Cassie. I mean… even when she does wake up, I'm scared for what… what she might be like. I'm scared for dad. I know he's a strong guy but… he also depends on her a lot. We all do." She shook her head.

"Dad will be fine. We're there for him." Cassie assured her, "And we'll help mom, whatever she needs."

"I'm supposed to be the one assuring you." Thea shook her head, "How are you so calm?" She asked.

"I'm terrified." Cassie assured her, "But we know what mom's like. She'd absolutely hate for us all to be standing around in that hospital room, panicking each other and worrying." She said.

"She would." Thea nodded, "I forget how grown up you are sometimes." She shook her head.

"Still the baby." Cassie smiled as Thea nodded, "Is Dominic ok?"

"Yeah, he's sleeping in the spare room with the kids." Thea nodded, "I said I would crash on the couch. If I decide to crash." She said.

"You should get some sleep." Cassie nodded, "If we're gonna go visit her in the morning."

"Every time I close my eyes over I just imagine the worst." Thea shook her head, placing her hands over her mouth and taking a deep breath, "And then the guilt comes in because… I know I've taken her for granted over the years." She shook her head.

"No you haven't." Cassie said, "She knows how important she is. She knows we all love her."

"I don't think you got to see her at her strongest." Thea shook her head, "I remember I used to come downstairs and she'd be holding you, you were just a baby, and she'd be crying but… somehow she was still keeping you quiet and calm." She said, "She held down a job and still managed to raise us. She was like a superhero." She smiled as Cassie nodded.

"She is a superhero." Cassie said.

* * *

"_April?" Dean walked into the house, walking down the hall and into the kitchen where nine month pregnant AJ was sat at the kitchen table with some papers out in front of her._

"_Hey." AJ said, not bothering to look up._

"_Hey… what are you doing?" Dean asked curiously, "Are the girls in bed?"_

"_Yeah, they're asleep." AJ nodded, "I'm working on this appeal for Phil." She said as Dean looked across at her, placing his hands on his hips._

"_April, the first one got rejected." Dean reminded her._

"_I know but I found out a way to appeal again, as long as you just change some things. I've called a different lawyer so it's a different representation." AJ looked up at him hopefully._

"_April." Dean sighed to himself._

"_This one could really get passed through." AJ nodded hopefully as Dean sat down across from her._

"_April, look at me." Dean said, taking her hands from the sheets of paper as AJ looked across at him, "Phil isn't getting out on appeal." He made clear, "You've appealed already and it was a straight rejection. They got him. They got him good." He said as AJ looked at him, "He is staying in prison." He made clear. He didn't want to be so blunt and cruel, but he couldn't watch his sister-in-law keep putting herself through the emotional pain of constant rejection. It just made the acceptance of this harder for her._

"_At least I'm trying to do something." AJ ripped her hands from him, "What are you doing?"_

"_I'm trying to accept that my brother is gonna be in prison for a while. You need to as well." Dean suggested._

"_I'm about to have three children, Dean. Phil isn't my brother. I can't just accept it and move on-"_

"_I'm not saying I'm doing that either." Dean made clear._

"_No, but it's easier for you. You don't have his children here asking you where their dad is." AJ stood up from the chair, "He was sentenced to thirteen years-"_

"_He won't do all that time-"_

"_Half is still seven or eight… do you really expect me to go all that time without having him here?" AJ shook her head._

"_No, April but you're gonna have to. I know you don't want to but the… the quicker you come to terms with it, the easier it'll get-"_

"_Easier?" AJ laughed, "Nothing will ever be easy about this. How dare you." AJ spat._

"_Just… calm down." He shook his head, "I know nothing is easy about this. I get it." Dean said._

"_No… no, you don't get it." AJ shook her head, "He is the person I come home to every night. He's my best friend. I am on my own here." She said._

"_You're not on your own. I'm here." Dean said._

"_No… at night, when the girls are in bed, I am here on my own and I hate it. I miss him. I miss his voice and I miss sleeping beside him. I even miss fighting with him over… stupid stuff." AJ shook her head, "And I am not spending the next years of my life being on my own." She shook her head, "Without him."_

"_You have me and Renee. You have your girls and… this baby." He said, "You're not alone, April." He shook his head, watching her pause for a second, placing her hand on the kitchen table, "What? What's wrong?"_

"_My waters just broke." She said calmly as Dean raised his eyebrows._

"_Huh?" Dean panicked as AJ sighed to herself. It wasn't a sigh because she was nervous about giving birth or worried about the pain, it was a sigh because she didn't want to do this on her own again, like she did with Thea._

"_My bag is already in the car. I can drive myself." AJ nodded._

"_Are you kidding? I'm coming." Dean shook his head, "I'll call Renee and get her to come here to watch the girls."_

"_Ok." AJ nodded to herself, taking calm deep breaths as Dean watched her. She was definitely calm and composed._

"_You alright?" Dean nodded to her._

"_Yeah." AJ nodded calmly, looking over at the carrier sitting on the kitchen counter, "I'm gonna need that." She remembered this time._

* * *

"_You got a name for her yet?" Dean smiled, sitting by AJ's bed a couple hours later, staring on at his new niece who wasn't long born._

"_Yeah." AJ nodded, "We picked out Cassie for a girl." She said._

"_Cassie." Dean smiled, "Sweet." He nodded to her as AJ smiled, holding her new bundle of joy in her arms, "You did really good." He nodded, rubbing AJ's arm softly as she smiled to him._

"_Thank you for staying with me." AJ said, "You didn't have to."_

"_Yeah I did, April." Dean said, "You're my sister. And I'm here for you. Throughout this whole thing." He made clear, watching as she looked down at Cassie. She'd had a healthy and quick delivery. Both her and baby Cassie were doing good, but he could see the sadness in her as she held her newborn daughter._

"_She's beautiful." AJ whispered. Cassie was her light in all the dark around her. She didn't fix anything, but she certainly gave her so much purpose and direction. _

"_You know… you can call the prison and let him know." Dean said as AJ looked over at him._

"_I don't think I could tell him over the phone." AJ shook her head with a lump in her throat as Dean nodded, understanding, "Thea's supposed to be seeing him after school tomorrow so maybe… maybe she'll let him know." She said as Dean nodded._

"_Yeah…. Yeah, he'll appreciate it coming from her." Dean smiled as AJ nodded._

"_I have to accept this, don't I?" AJ realised, looking at him as he sighed to himself._

"_I think so." Dean said as AJ nodded, looking down at her baby girl._

"_He should be here." AJ shook her head, "He's not a… bad person." She sighed with tears in her eyes, "He was just trying to protect us. It's all he's ever wanted to do."_

"_I know." Dean said, "You just wanna be mad at the world, huh?" He said as AJ nodded._

"_I just can't imagine him missing all the things he's going to miss." She shook her head._

"_Yeah, I know." Dean sighed, "But you've got your girls. And you guys are gonna be so close. And I know that it's daunting and it's pressure that you're not used to, but if there was someone I thought of, that would do good in leading a pack of little girls in the right direction… it's gotta be you." He nodded as AJ smiled to him._

"_A pack, huh?" AJ nodded._

"_Yeah, it's gotta be. Like little wolves." He nodded as AJ smiled._

"_You're so weird, Dean." AJ smiled as he shrugged, "And I love you." She said as he winked to her, "Would you… give me a minute alone?" She asked him._

"_Sure, I can." Dean nodded, standing up, leaning over and kissing her head as AJ smiled, "You laying down the ground rules for her?" He teased, doing anything to keep her smiling._

"_Something like that." AJ nodded, watching as he left the hospital room, leaving her alone with Cassie in the empty hospital room._

_AJ looked down at Cassie, watching her sleep peacefully, "Hi, baby." She whispered, stroking her soft cheek, "I guess maybe you expected a bigger welcoming, huh?" She said quietly, "I did too." She nodded, "He's not here but I know he loves you so much." She said, "And he'd do anything to be here. I know he would." She said, watching her little nose twitching as she smiled._

"_I'm gonna do my best." AJ nodded, "And it might not always be good enough but… I promise you, I'll be trying so hard." She said, "Because you deserve so much better than this and… you're only a few hours old." She sighed, a tear running down her cheek._

"_You've got two amazing big sisters. Jude and Thea. I figure if I'm not doing the best I can, they'll let me know." She said, looking down at Cassie, "It's just us girls now, baby." She whispered, stroking her cheek softly, looking up and staring across at the baby carrier in the corner of the room, tears running down her cheeks as she cried to herself quietly, leaning down and kissing Cassie's head softly. _

_Seeing Cassie was her wakeup call. Being on her own with her was the wakeup call she needed. The wakeup call which had her realising she was on her own now._


	37. Phil

**Phil**

* * *

"You're still here, mister Brooks." Paul, AJ's doctor, walked into the hospital room where Punk was still sitting, wide awake as he had been all night and into the morning.

"Yeah well you're not gonna catch me anywhere else, doc." Punk assured him as Paul nodded with a small smile.

"How long have you been together?" Paul asked whilst checking AJ's blood pressure and the monitors bleeping beside.

"Thirty six years." Punk nodded.

"Oh, wow." Paul raised his eyebrows, "That's… a long time to spend with someone."

"Yeah well she always tells me that we're living until we're ninety, so… I'm holding that against her." He said as Paul smiled, "How are things looking?" He asked.

"Not much change." Paul nodded, "We're gonna take her for another CT scan see how her head is doing. We'll know more then." He said as Punk nodded.

"What happens if… the swelling still hasn't gone down any?" Punk asked him.

"Well we may need to perform surgery." Paul said, "Because there's a risk of a loss of blood to the brain if the swelling hasn't gone down by much, and that's… not a danger zone we'd like to go into." He said as AJ nodded, "We'll know more once we see what's going on with the brain."

"Ok." Punk nodded.

"Maybe whilst we're taking her for the scan you could go home, get some rest. You must be exhausted." Paul said as Punk shook his head.

"No… No, I'm fine. I'll just wait here." Punk nodded.

"Ok." Paul nodded, knowing he could only suggest, "I'm gonna send in some nurses and we're gonna take her to get the CT scan. Will you be ok waiting here?" He asked Punk.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Punk nodded.

He'd pretty much stayed up all night, sitting by AJ's bed, talking to her or sometimes just sitting with her in silence, not letting go of her hand. He was scared to leave her. So scared.

He stood up and let the nurses take AJ out of the room for another CT scan, sitting back down on the chair and sighing to himself. He had incredible anxiety just by no longer being able to visually see his wife anymore. It was making his heart beat fast, unhealthily fast.

He turned around when he heard the door opening, watching Jude and Sean walk into the room. He saw her face immediately drop when she saw the bed was gone.

"Where is she?" Jude asked, "W-What… what happened?" She panicked.

"Jude, it's ok." Punk stood up.

"No… where is she?" Jude cried, "No… no, what happened to her?" She begged.

"Hey they've just taken her for a scan." Punk walked over to her quickly as she became hysterical, "She's just away for a scan, sweetheart. Just… down the hall." He nodded as Jude cried, hugging into him as he closed his eyes.

For a second she felt her heart stop. She thought she had walked into the worst thing possible. The thing they were all dreading happening. The unspeakable thing they wouldn't dare mention. She thought she was about to live that, and it was the most horrifying feeling.

"Is she ok?" Jude cried as Punk rubbed her back softly.

"She's just in the same condition as last night." Punk nodded, "They're taking her for another scan to see if the swelling has gone down. If it has… that's a good thing." He said, "Don't be upset." He sighed to himself, kissing her head.

"I thought she was gone." Jude cried as Punk nodded. He knew that's what she thought. He could see the look on her face. It was enough to bring tears to his own eyes.

"She's still here, sweetheart. I promise." Punk nodded as Jude hugged into him tightly, "Did you get some sleep?" He asked her, looking over at Sean.

"We got a couple hours." Sean answered as Punk nodded, "Have you not been home?"

"No… No, I'm ok." Punk nodded.

"You gotta sleep, man. We can stay here." Sean said as Punk shook his head.

"No, really… I'm fine." Punk assured him, "I guess I was maybe dozing off and on in the chair." He lied. He knew he hadn't shut his eyes once, because they had constantly been fixed on his wife.

"So she hasn't… woken up or anything?" Jude asked, pulling back from the hug, letting her heart go back down to its fairly normal rate, drying her wet face as Sean wrapped his arm around her.

"No, she's not woken up." Punk shook his head, "Doctor said he'll know more after this can. If the swelling hasn't gone down, they may need to do surgery." He said, "If it has then it's… it's good news we need." He said as Jude nodded, "You spoke to your sisters?"

"No, not this morning." Jude shook her head, "I know Thea and Dominic crashed at your place with Cassie." She said, "With the kids too. They'll probably show up soon."

"Ok well… I can always go down to the café and get a coffee or something. Let you guys be with your mom for a little bit." He nodded.

"Dad, you can leave the hospital." Jude nodded, "Maybe get a nap and… a shower." She said with concern.

"I smell?" Punk asked her.

"No, but you've been here all night." Jude said.

"I'm… I'm fine." Punk shook his head. The thought of leaving the environment his wife was in right now just wasn't an option, "I'm not going anywhere." He said as Jude just nodded. She knew there was no telling her father, and she wasn't surprised that he wanted to stay with her mother twenty four seven. It just summed up their relationship and the type of love they had.

* * *

"_Why don't you just tell her she's a dick?" Sixteen year old Punk asked, massaging his girlfriend's head within her long dark hair as she lay on top of his chest, naked in a motel bed, a place they could hear each other without all the noise of their families and home life._

"_I don't think that would even make a difference." AJ shook her head, "She doesn't care. Neither of them do." She said, speaking about her parents, "It's always been like that."_

"_What about your brother?" Punk asked her._

"_I barely even know who he is. He doesn't talk to me. Doesn't acknowledge me. He's never really at home." AJ shrugged, "Do you ever just feel like…" She began to talk, sitting up against the headboard against the pillows, "You're mad with someone and you want them to know you're mad but… it wouldn't even matter to tell them because they just… don't care. So it's not even worth bringing it up." She said, "That's how I feel about my mom and dad. If I told them how I felt, they wouldn't care, and it'd only make me more upset. So what's the point?"_

"_I know but your feelings are still valid, April." Punk said, "You don't just gotta conform because they don't listen to you. Get loud so they do hear you."_

"_The biggest fuck you I could ever give my parents is if I grow up and somehow… have a good life." AJ nodded, "Which is debatable given I have no support."_

"_You have me." Punk smiled as she looked down at him._

"_Yeah… I do." AJ smiled down at him, "Part of me just wants to be like… hey you… motherfuckers, you didn't raise me right but look how I turned out. I turned out ok." She said as Punk smiled, "I know it's far-fetched considering I already have a criminal record-"_

"_Doesn't mean you're a bad person. Sometimes you just… you gotta do what you gotta do to survive." Punk nodded._

"_Or is that just an excuse to do bad things?" AJ asked him as he sat up beside her against the headboard._

"_I don't think so. Sure if you pursue it but… if you're doing it to eat and have a roof over your head… I don't think it makes you a bad person-"_

"_Yeah but where does that line draw?" AJ asked him, "I don't wanna be pulling the, poor girl whose family doesn't care about her card, forever." She said._

"_You don't have to." Punk shook his head as AJ climbed over on top of him, sitting on his thighs and wrapping her arms around his neck._

"_The only time I feel like I'm not doomed to all that chaos my mom and dad live in is… when I'm with you." She looked him in the eyes, "This feels more like a home than my actual house does. And I don't mean… the motel. I mean you." She nodded as he smiled._

"_I know what you mean." Punk smiled, "You wanna know what I think?" He asked._

"_What?" She smiled. Her relationship with him was very new and very young, yet she felt like due to their upbringings, they were somehow older than their years. She felt safe with him. She felt everything with him. _

"_I think we're gonna be fine." Punk nodded._

"_You think?" She smiled as he nodded._

"_Yeah." Punk said, "And if we're not… fuck it." He shrugged as she chuckled._

"_Fuck it." She nodded, leaning in and kissing him passionately as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt like she could do anything with him by her side. Part of her felt the danger from him, but it wasn't a scary danger, it was exciting. It was a thrill. _

* * *

_AJ walked into the prisons visitation room, bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep she'd gotten over the past few weeks, making her way to the designated table and taking a seat as she waited on her husband coming out._

_She stood up when she saw him coming out, sighing to herself as she saw he had a black eye and stitches along his eyebrows._

"_Nice of you to show up." Punk nodded to her as he approached the table with cuffs on._

"_Why have you got cuffs on?" AJ asked, looking around at the other inmates who had come out, without any handcuffs restricting them._

"_Because I've been misbehaving." Punk said bluntly, sitting down at the table as AJ sat down across from him, "You've not been here in over a week." He said as AJ looked across at him._

"_Well I've been busy, Phil." AJ said, looking at his cut eyebrow._

"_Stop staring at the eyebrow." Punk said._

"_Well what happened?" AJ shook her head._

"_It's fine." Punk said, "I'm assuming you know that the last time me and Thea spoke she told me she wasn't gonna visit again." He said as AJ looked across at him._

_She desperately wanted to tell him what was going on with Thea right at this very minute. The fact she was ill with a drug addiction. Severely ill. But she couldn't imagine the torture it would be for him to live with that in a cell for twenty whatever hours a day. She couldn't do that to him._

"_She's just finding this tough." AJ said. _

"_Can't you… talk to her about it or something? Help her change her mind? I don't wanna not see my kid, Ape." He shook his head._

"_I think what's best for Thea right now is just… some space." AJ nodded, "You just gotta bear with her-"_

"_So you're not even gonna talk to her about it?" Punk asked._

"_She's seventeen. She can make her own decisions, Phil." AJ said, "She's her own person."_

"_Who needs her dad-"_

"_Her dad? Who she has to come to a prison to visit?" AJ questioned, "Do you even want that kind of life for them? Do you want them to see you like this?"_

"_Do you?" Punk asked her curiously._

"_No. I don't, Phil. I want them to know you as the dad they could… love and trust-"_

"_Excuse me?" Punk asked._

"_Well this place hardly has connotations of goodness and kindness, does it?" AJ questioned._

"_Oh, saint April with her kindness and goodness. I forgot you were carved by fucking angels." He said as AJ stared him angrily, "I got nothing here, Ape!" Punk said desperately, "And now I'm starting to lose the small part of my family I still have-"_

"_Yeah well you don't get to blame your daughter for that." AJ said._

"_I blame you." Punk looked at her as AJ stared him. She was trying so hard to remember that he wasn't thinking straight. He was isolated. He was locked up and no doubt going stir crazy. But words had to come from some place._

"_You blame me for what?" AJ spat._

"_For this." Punk said, shaking his handcuffs in front of her, "I get treated like a fucking dog in here. I'm in here because of your stupid fucking parents." He shook his head to himself._

"_Curse at me again and I'm out of here." AJ warned him as he looked across at her._

"_I took the fall. Again. Everyone split and I'm back in here. It's been four years and I feel like I've lost a lifetime with you and the girls. I… I haven't even met one of my kids because you won't bring her-"_

"_Woah, hold on." AJ paused him, "I won't bring her? We both decided, together, that bringing her here so young wasn't fair to her or you. That this was easier." She said, "So quit throwing things in my face and putting words in my mouth."_

"_Why does Thea not want to see me anymore? Tell me the real reason." Punk said._

"_Maybe because you're not any use to her in here. She needs someone in her life and you're not." AJ said as Punk looked across at her._

"_She said that?" Punk asked._

"_She doesn't have to." AJ said._

"_And you're just… agreeing with her? You're not even trying to persuade her to come see me?"_

"_Persuade her?" AJ shook her head, "She's not a little girl, Phil. She's almost eighteen years old. If she doesn't want to see you anymore then she doesn't want to see you!" AJ said, starting to lose her temper, watching as he stood up angrily, standing up straight after him and staring up at him, "Sit back down." AJ warned him as he looked down at her._

"_You know what? You're starting to treat me exactly how they do in here." He said quietly, sitting back down on his chair as AJ looked at him._

_For the past year or so, she could feel things changing slowly but surely. Visits became shorter and more hostile. She didn't think it was because they didn't love one another. She never thought that. They were just living two separate lives and things were becoming too difficult. But… she wouldn't be treated or spoken to like that._

"_Thea makes her own decisions. She's a grow woman." AJ sat back down._

"_I can't believe you." Punk shook his head, "You don't know how fucking lucky you are."_

"_Lucky?" AJ laughed loudly. She only wished she could tell him that she had just locked Thea in her bedroom with Dean sitting outside it, to make sure she didn't leave the house to collect drugs. Whilst he longed to be home, with their daughter's, she longed to disappear from all the noise at home, all the chaos._

"_Yeah. You get to go home every night, with our daughters-"_

"_Yeah, with our daughters who I'm raising on my own. You don't even know the half of it." AJ shook her head._

"_This is your fault." Punk shook his head. He didn't mean it. He absolutely didn't mean that. He was angry and upset. He was losing the will to live. Struggling every day. And his wife, she saw his best, but sadly she got his worst too._

"_My fault." AJ nodded, "Yeah, of course it is." She said, "I tell you what, Phil… if that's how you feel, I won't bother coming back here again either." She nodded._

"_Yeah, well it's the girls I care about." Punk said coldly as AJ glared across at him, standing up from the table._

"_Fuck you." AJ whispered as he looked up at her, watching as she turned around and walked away out of the room, not realising that would be the last time he'd see her until he got out._


	38. Tired

**Tired**

* * *

"Where's dad?" Thea asked, standing in her mother's hospital room after coming to join Jude with Cassie.

"He went down to the café to give us some time in here." Jude said.

"He's been here all night and morning?" Thea asked as Jude nodded.

"Yeah and I wouldn't bother telling him that he needs to go home. He's not moving." Jude accepted, "They did another scan. Good news is that the swelling in the brain has gone down a lot." She said positively, "Which means they don't have to do surgery." She said as Thea and Cassie nodded.

"Well I… I brought some things for her." Thea shrugged, sitting the bag down on the chair, "You know… for when she wakes up." She nodded positively as Jude watched her.

"What'd you bring?" Jude asked curiously.

"Well some books and stuff." Thea said.

"She's got brain damage and you've brought her books to read?" Jude questioned as Thea looked over at her, "Are you stupid?" She shook her head as Cassie groaned a little.

"They've not confirmed it as brain damage." Thea shook her head.

"She's in a coma. Are you… Are you seeing this?" Jude asked, looking at their mother, "She's not reading shit when she wakes up-"

"Jude." Cassie shook her head, "Just calm down." She advised. She was sure Thea's thought process behind bringing her mother some things wasn't for her to actually use them. It was more of a comfort thing.

"You talk about her like she's dead. She's still there." Thea said angrily, "And she'll wake up. And when she does, she might wanna read a book so I've brought some books. Ok?" Thea glared at Jude, "The hell is wrong with you?" She shook her head, unpacking the books from the bag and sitting them on the table beside the bed, as well as some pictures of them.

"I overheard the doctor telling dad that sometimes… patients in her state don't wake up, and that we have to make a decision." Jude said as Thea turned to her, "To turn off all the machines." She said as Cassie turned to her, "If weeks go by and she doesn't wake up. And it's dad who has to make the decision." She said. She didn't want to be fooled by any false hope.

"Why don't you just think positive for now?" Thea asked, slightly angry that her sister would even bring up the worst possible scenario for all of them, "She'll wake up." She said as Cassie stood quietly, looking on at her mother.

"She's so still." Cassie said, walking around the bed, fixing her mother's hair out of her face, "She still has the best hair out of all of us. It's really not fair." She said as Thea smiled.

"Yeah, she has good hair." Thea agreed as Jude watched them both.

"Why are you both acting like nothing is wrong?" Jude asked them with confusion as they turned to her, "I can barely stand here and look at her and you guys are talking about her hair." She shook her head with confusion, backing away out of the room as Thea sighed to herself.

"I'll get her." Thea said, leaving the room and catching up with Jude in the hall, "Hey, wait." She ran after Jude.

"No, I can't do this." Jude shook her head.

"Yes you can." Thea said, turning Jude around, "We can't all stand over her in silence, mourning over her when she's still… alive and breathing." She said, "You don't have to prepare yourself to lose her." She made clear, "The swelling has gone down in her brain. That's a good thing. That means it's trying to heal." She made clear.

"How can you go in there and just… act calm?" Jude shook her head.

"Because I know that's what mom would expect from us. She'd be mad if we were all sitting crying by her bed." Thea said as Jude sighed to herself, "I am scared just like you are, and so is Cassie, but we have to stick together." She said, "And hope for the best." She nodded, "Think about what you're gonna say to her when she wakes up. Just keep thinking about that." Thea said.

"I'm scared I don't get to say anything else to her again." Jude shook her head as Thea nodded.

"I know, but you can't think like that." Thea said, "You can't torture yourself."

"I don't want dad to have to make a decision like that." Jude shook her head, "It'd kill him."

"We don't have to think about that. That's not important right now. Mom is getting better, that's all you gotta remember." Thea nodded, "You gotta be strong. Like she taught us." She said as Jude nodded, "Come here." She sighed, wrapping her arms around her little sister.

She figured if there was one thing she could do for her mom right now, it was keep her little sister's safe and calm.

* * *

"Hey." Sam nodded, walking over to one of the tables in the café where Punk was sitting.

"Hey." Punk said quietly, watching her sit down across from him.

"How is she doing?" Sam asked him.

"Swelling has gone down in her brain." Punk nodded, "Which is really good. It shows that… the brain activity is still strong and… trying to heal." He said, "But they also told me that if… she goes on like this for weeks, and she doesn't wake up or she stays unresponsive… we have to make a decision about turning the machines off. I… have to make the decision." He said as Sam looked across at him.

"You don't have to think about that right now." Sam shook her head, "If the swelling has gone down that means… she's making progress, even if doesn't look like it." She said as Punk nodded.

"I can't stop thinking about… all the bad stuff." Punk shook his head with confusion, "I don't know why."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"All the stuff I've put her through over the years. All the fights we've had." Punk said, "That's all I can think about right now and I… I don't know why." She shook her head as Sam looked at him.

"Because maybe you still feel guilty about it." Sam figured, "Maybe you wish you… got more time to make it up to her."

"But we're fine. We're good. We've never been better, actually." Punk said, "I can't stop thinking about that fight we had when I was in prison. Cheating on her. Not being there for when she needed me." He shook his head, "It's driving me insane." He shook his head.

"You know she doesn't hold any of that against you, right? Not anymore." Sam shook her head.

"I know, that's why I'm confused." Punk said, "I think it has a lot more to do with me than her." He admitted, "I'm sat up there just looking at her and thinking about… what I should have done, what I should have said to her… did I tell her how much I love her? Does she know that… I really wouldn't know what to do without her?" He asked as Sam nodded to herself.

"You're scared." Sam nodded, "But if you want my opinion, I think she knows how much she's loved." Sam said.

"I don't know how she did this." Punk took a deep breath, running his hands over his face, "I don't know how she did this on her own."

"I don't know either." Sam admitted, "But she did. And she did it without complaining or losing her own self. I mean she… she was still April throughout all of it." Sam said, "And I don't want to say this to scare you but… if it wasn't for that woman, I seriously worry about what could have or… what might have happened to Thea." Sam said, "I don't know how much you know about it… if April lets onto how bad it was." She said, "But she didn't give up. She dragged that girl to rehab every week. She would… try every single therapy and counselling session until it started working. Can't help think if I had a mother like that, maybe my life would be different." She nodded, "And on top of that she had two other kids that she still managed to raise and make time for."

"I know how great my wife is." Punk assured her.

"Yeah but… I feel like you may have missed seeing her at her greatest." Sam said truthfully.

"There is no greatest. She stays on the same tier at all times. With everything she does. She's always been like that." Punk shook his head as Sam smiled a little and nodded, realising he was right.

"I can still remember her coming to our house when she was sixteen." Sam smiled fondly, "Not the type of girl I expected you to… like."

"Don't pretend you knew anything about me or what I was like back then." Punk scoffed.

"I did, Phil. I wasn't present in your life but I still saw you and… knew you." Sam said, "I prayed and hoped that you'd find a girl who would calm you down and maintain you, I guess… so when I saw little miss pick pocketer I thought great… these two are just as bad as each other." She nodded, "But… clearly, you both proved me wrong."

"I just can't stop thinking about all the stuff we didn't do or stuff she asked me to do that I didn't really take notice of." Punk shook his head.

"You don't have to torture yourself." Sam shook her head.

"I'm not trying to. It's just happening." Punk sighed to himself, "I can't imagine… not waking up with her and having breakfast with her." He shook his head, "And then I remember that she did that for eight years." She shook her head, "And I don't know how."

"Because she had to. She had no choice." Sam nodded, "And it probably killed her for the entire eight years, but she did it. Because it's… it's April, she gets up and she gets on with it."

"She's just never the one on the opposite side." Punk shook his head, "And it feels so wrong. I miss… I miss hearing her voice. Watching her just… lying there is killing me." He shook his head with a deep sigh, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Phil, I think you need to go home and get some sleep." Sam suggested, "You're probably having all these thoughts because you're exhausted." She said.

"I'm not leaving her." Punk shook his head, "I just came down here to let the girls have some time with her."

"You can't not sleep until she wakes up. You're gonna end up delirious." Sam shook her head, "And that's not something I want to see. You're crazy enough already." She said as Punk rolled his eyes.

"I'm not moving from this hospital." Punk made clear, "Ok?" He said as Sam looked across at him, "I'm not leaving her."

"I can't make you do anything." Sam understood, "The swelling going down on her brain is a good sign. It's progress. Better than yesterday. You just gotta think about it like that."

"I'm trying to." Punk nodded, "She's been fighting her whole life, I'm scared she's just tired of it all now." He shook his head as Sam sighed.

"April? Tired? There's no way." Sam shook her head. She thought very highly of her daughter-in-law. She figured AJ would appreciate her coming and talking to Punk, "I think she's just getting some peace and quiet before she has to wake up to all you crazy people." Sam nodded as Punk smiled a little.

"You think so?" Punk asked as Sam nodded, "Why'd you come here?" He asked her.

"Because you're my son, Phil." Sam shook her head, "And I know I'm never good at the mom stuff, I never have been… but I know what April means to you." She said, "And I know she'd expect me to step up for you right now." She said as Punk nodded.

"She secretly likes you." Punk nodded.

"I know." Sam smiled to him.


	39. Snapped

**Snapped**

* * *

Punk was making his way up from the cafeteria, having oddly spending a couple hours talking to his mom, someone who was starting to do a pretty good job of appearing when he needed her.

He was waiting on the elevator, impatiently pushing the button as he paced around.

"Just because you push it more doesn't mean it'll come faster." An older man chuckled to himself as Punk turned around, watching him slowly walking to one of the seats at the waiting area. Punk could only predict he had to be in his nineties. He was hunched over, walking stick guiding him towards the chair.

Punk looked over at him, reaching over and pushing the button a few more times deliberately as the older man chuckled, losing his balance a little as he held onto the chair unsteadily.

"Hey, you ok?" Punk asked, walking over with concern and helping the older man.

"Beat it." The older man hit Punk with his walking stick, "I'm just fine." He insisted as Punk scoffed.

"You look one hundred years old." Punk nodded.

"I'm ninety three actually." He said, "It just… takes me a while to sit down." He explained.

"Well can I help you?" Punk asked him, "Let me help you." He corrected, giving the older man his hand, helping him sit down on the chair carefully, "Shouldn't you be in one of these rooms?" Punk scoffed.

"You're a cheeky one." The older man said, taking his beret hat off, "Visiting my wife." He told him as Punk took a seat beside him, "End of life care, you see." He nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Punk said.

"Yeah, everyone is." The man nodded to himself, "What's your name, son?" He asked.

"Phil." Punk nodded.

"Joe." Joe said as Punk nodded, "Lot of people just walked by me. I've been trying to sit down on this seat for half an hour." He shook his head as Punk frowned, "All these terminally ill people can be so self-involved." He teased as Punk smiled.

"Your wife is in one of these rooms?" Punk asked him.

"Yeah, she's in the end one over there." Joe said, "Has been for a month now." He nodded, "I tried convincing the nurses to rent me a room in here but they won't allow it." He scoffed as Punk smiled. He was a typical sweet, stubborn and full of nonsense old man.

"You make your way here every day?" Punk asked as Joe nodded.

"Mhm. I'd go anywhere for my wife." Joe shook his head, leaning his hands on his walking stick in front of him, "Eileen. That's her name." He told Punk who smiled.

"How long you been together?" Punk asked him.

"Almost 76 years." Joe nodded to him as Punk raised his eyebrows.

"That's a lot of years." Punk nodded.

"Not enough." Joe shook his head, "I told Eileen, I said if you go I better blow my casket straight after you. I don't wanna be hanging around in this world without her." He shook his head, "No point in that." He said to himself as Punk smiled and nodded.

"Must be hard, having spent so much time together." Punk said as Joe nodded.

"It is." Joe nodded, "Spending seventy years with someone and then… going home to find they're gone… I don't want that." Joe shook his head, "Eileen is the head of the family, you see." He explained as Punk smiled.

"Yeah, woman can be like that, huh?" Punk smiled as Joe nodded.

"What she says goes. And I wouldn't dare argue." Joe chuckled, "She's always right." He nodded, "I don't like having my dinner on my own." He told Punk, "She would always… put the radio on and she'd be singing. I used to get annoyed at it but you know… I can't eat dinner now without having the radio on." He said as Punk nodded. He could tell this man hadn't been able to talk to anyone about this, and it made him sad.

"You got kids?" Punk asked him.

"Yeah, three." Joe nodded, "Two boys and a girl. Got four grandchildren and one great grandchildren too." He said as Punk nodded, "And they're all good kids. Smart. Take good care of me." He added, "But it's still just me in the house on my own." He said as Punk nodded, "What's a young lad like you doing here?"

"Young?" Punk chuckled a little.

"Well… you're no me." Joe said as Punk chuckled, looking at the old man.

"My wife is in intensive care upstairs." Punk nodded, "Car accident."

"Oh, poor thing." Joe sighed, "What's her name?"

"April." Punk nodded as Joe smiled.

"Like the month." Joe nodded to himself, "I like that." He said as Punk smiled, "I'll say a prayer for her." He assured Punk.

"Thank you." Punk nodded. Just because he didn't believe in that stuff, didn't mean he discredited other people's beliefs, "I appreciate that." He said as Joe nodded.

"How long you been together?" Joe asked him.

"Coming up for thirty six years." Punk said, "It's no seventy, I guess." He smiled.

"Ahh, you'll get there." Joe patted his arm, "You'll get there." He nodded, "Kids?"

"Yeah, three girls." Punk nodded.

"By God, I could barely handle one." Joe laughed, "You must have patience."

"It's my wife who has the patience." Punk nodded.

"Mhm." Joe smiled, "I can tell by the way you kept pushing that elevator button." He scoffed as Punk smiled and nodded, "Doesn't feel right, does it?" He understood.

"No." Punk shook his head, "Everything just feels wrong. Not hearing her voice. Not seeing her eyes. Just watching her is… killing me." He sighed to himself as Joe nodded.

"Mhm." Joe agreed, "And all you can do is sit there." He shook his head, "Love can be cruel in the end." He nodded, "It can change you. Leave you feeling like you have nothing." He said as Punk nodded, "What's her injuries?" He asked.

"Trauma to the head." Punk said, "She's in a coma." He nodded as Joe sighed.

"And you're only young too." Joe shook his head, "I like to think I lived a happy and long life with my wife but… I'm still greedy." He nodded, "You still have years and years." He shook his head, "I will be praying for you and your wife." He made clear, patting Punk on the leg.

"Thank you." Punk nodded, "How long do you stay here?" He asked.

"All day." Joe said, "Yeah, the nurses are kind enough to give me lunch. My son picks me up and takes me home later on." He explained as Punk nodded, "I just want to spend as much time as I can with her." He said as Punk nodded.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this." Punk said as Joe smiled.

"It's life, son." Joe nodded, "To have all the good, the great… you gotta have some of the bad." He said as Punk nodded slowly.

"I better head up and see my daughters." Punk nodded to him.

"Yeah, go." Joe nodded, waving his stick at Punk who chuckled and stood up, "And try just hitting that elevator button once." He advised as Punk nodded, walking over the elevator, extending his hand out and pressing the button once.

He took a deep breath, standing still in front of the elevator as he waited patiently, turning around to Joe who nodded to him.

Punk turned back around, watching the elevator doors open up.

"See!" Joe called as Punk chuckled, stepping into the elevator as the doors closed over and took him up a floor.

Punk got out of the elevator, walking down the corridor and noticing his three daughters were standing outside of the room, which made him incredibly nervous.

"What's going on?" Punk asked.

"The doctor is in with her. She was having an absent seizure." Thea said.

"What the hell is that?" Punk shook his head.

"It means you can't see it. It's not like a seizure where you start shaking. It's in the brain." Thea explained, "It can stop oxygen getting to the brain." She gulped as Punk looked at them, walking past them and heading into the hospital room where the doctor was with AJ.

"What's going on?" Punk asked, "You said the swelling had gone down." He said frantically.

"Your wife has taken an absent seizure-"

"Yeah and what the hell is that? You said the swelling had gone down." Punk said angrily as Thea walked into the room.

"Dad, I think you should come out of here. Let the doctor help mom." Thea pulled at Punk's arm which he just shook away from her.

"No, I'm not going anywhere." Punk shook his head, "Why is she having a seizure?" Punk questioned, "She was stable."

"The brain can be unpredictable. Brain injuries can differ with symptoms and complications-"

"Stop telling me the brain is unpredictable. Is that what you went to med school for? Is that all you learnt? That the brain is fucking unpredictable?" Punk spat.

"Dad!" Thea yelled angrily, grabbing Punk by the arm, "You need to calm down." She warned him.

"I understand this is a difficult time, mister Brooks, but I can assure you I learnt a lot more at medical school, and your wife is in good care right now. I've managed to stabilise her." Paul nodded as Punk looked across at him.

"Then get out of the room." Punk said as Paul looked across at him, "Go. Leave me alone with my wife." He spat.

"I am so sorry." Thea shook her head as the doctor headed out of the room, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. I see it quite often." Paul assured her, leaving the room as Thea turned around and looked at her father.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Thea spat angrily, "These doctors are doing everything they can to help mom right now. You don't get to talk to them like that." Thea spat, "She has a brain injury. He's right. There will be complications. You have to understand that." She said.

"Just get the hell out, Thea." Punk spat.

"Excuse me?" Thea looked at him.

"Get out of the room." Punk looked across at her.

"You know you're not the only one who is hurting right now." Thea said, "You don't get to behave like this. You're supposed to be the one telling us it's going to be ok. Like mom did when you weren't here. She didn't ever carry on like this. She didn't get mad or… or raise her voice because things weren't right. She got on with it. She told us to keep our heads up and keep moving forward." She said, "And all you have to say to me is get out?" She questioned as Punk sat down by the bed, holding onto AJ's hand.

"Yeah, that's all I have to say." Punk nodded.

"You need to go home. You need to sleep. You're not behaving like some street kid in here. Cursing at doctors because you're scared." She shook her head, "We're all scared, dad."

"Let me feel how I wanna feel." Punk mumbled, looking on at AJ.

"Thea." Jude opened up the room door.

"No, don't think I won't call you out on this shit. This isn't an excuse for you to treat people like shit." Thea said as Punk ignored her, "Are you listening to me?" Thea spat angrily.

"Thea." Jude said louder.

"What?" Thea snapped, turning around and noticing Jude was standing funny.

"My waters just broke." Jude gulped as Punk turned around.


	40. Something Good

**Something Good**

* * *

"Right now?" Thea asked Jude.

"Yes, right now." Jude said, "Either that or I've just… peed my pants." She said.

"Are you ok?" Punk stood up with concern.

"I'm three weeks away from my due date." Jude worried, "Why is it not painful? Nothing feels like it's happening." She panicked, placing her hand on her pregnant tummy, "Someone needs to call Sean." She panicked.

"Ok, you just need to calm down." Thea nodded.

"We're in the right place." Punk reminded her.

"What if there's something wrong? I'm not due for another three weeks." She panicked.

"Babies come early sometimes." Thea assured her sister, "We have to get a doctor and… get you to a room. Dad, stay with her. I'll go get someone." She ran out of the room as Punk looked on at Jude who was standing, frightened to move.

"You can move, it's ok." Punk assured her as she shook her head, frozen with fear almost, "Jude, look at me." He said as she looked at him, "It's gonna be ok. Three weeks early isn't… it's not that bad. Babies can come early."

"Not that early." Jude panicked, "What if it's there's something wrong?" She said, "Why is there no pain?" She worried, "Huh? Am I not supposed to feel pain?"

"Not immediately, no." Punk shook his head, "It'll… it'll start coming gradually." Punk nodded. This was definitely the type of thing that AJ was good with. The advice thing. He was just winging it, doing his best to keep his daughter calm.

"I don't even feel any movement, though. Isn't that bad?" Jude asked.

"No, Jude… just take a deep breath." He nodded, watching her take short, fast breaths, "No, a deep breath, nice and slow." He said as she gulped, taking in a deep breath as he noticed she wasn't breathing out, "And breathe out." He alerted her.

"I'm scared." Jude gasped out as Punk sighed to himself.

"Come on, you can do this." Punk nodded, "You're gonna be fine. So is the baby." He said, "Let's walk out here." He said, taking her hand as she refused to move, "Jude, you have to move." He insisted.

"What if it starts coming out?" Jude whispered as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Even I know that isn't possible." Punk said, "Come on." He guided her out of the room into the hospital corridor.

"Are you ok?" Cassie asked with concern.

"I don't know." Jude cried whilst Thea came running down the corridor with a doctor.

"I'll stay with mom. You go with Jude." Cassie told Punk who nodded.

"Ok." Punk said, watching Cassie walk into AJ's room.

"Jude, this is Doctor Long, she's gonna take you up to the maternity floor." Thea ran back to Jude with a doctor.

"Ok. Ok. I… I don't feel anything happening." Jude told the doctor immediately.

"That's ok, honey. Just come walk with me and we'll get you upstairs." The doctor nodded, taking Jude's hand.

"Can my dad and sister come?" Jude asked the doctor.

"Of course they can." Doctor Long nodded to Thea and Punk who trailed behind.

"Have you called Sean?" Punk asked Thea.

"Yes." Thea said, "He's on his way. I'll be civil with you for Jude's sake right now." She told him as Punk looked at her, "But I am still so mad at you." She made clear, walking ahead and catching up with Jude to help her sister whilst Punk followed behind.

* * *

"Where is Sean?" Jude asked worriedly, sitting up in the hospital bed some time later, hooked up to the machines with Thea and Punk in her room.

"He said he was on his way but... that there was some traffic." Thea nodded, brushing her sister's hair out of her face as Jude swatted her hand away.

"Stop… touching me." Jude said with agitation as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"How we feeling, Jude?" Jude's official doctor came into the room, Louise.

"We're feeling pain." Jude nodded to her.

"I hate to say but that's perfectly normal." Louise nodded, "I have it down here you're doing a natural birth. No drugs?" She asked as Jude nodded.

"You're psychotic." Thea whispered to her sister who ignored her.

"Ok, we'll go with what you wish." Louise nodded, feeling around Jude's stomach, a look of concern striking her.

"What?" Jude looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"I think… she's upside down." Louise felt around.

"Why is she upside down? What's wrong with her?" Jude panicked.

"Nothing is wrong with her." Louise assured her, "She's just positioned differently. Hopefully by the time you're ready to deliver she'll have turned around."

"And what if she doesn't?" Jude asked.

"We'll discuss that when we come to it." Louise said, "You're doing good. I'll come back to check on you soon." She nodded, walking out of the room as Jude sighed to herself.

"Why is she upside down?" Jude shook her head, poking her stomach, "She's a dummy."

"Jude." Thea scoffed as Punk just chuckled to himself.

"What? She is." Jude huffed, "Why would any woman want to do this? Voluntarily?" She snapped at her sister.

"Don't look at me. My two kids weren't planned." Thea scoffed as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Were we planned?" Jude asked Punk.

"Well I wasn't." Thea scoffed, already knowing that.

"No. Cassie was planned, though." Punk nodded to them.

"Who would voluntarily plan for this? I don't get it." Jude rolled her head back dramatically.

"I bet you won't be saying that when you get to meet her." Punk nodded.

"You're about to have a contraction." Thea noticed on the monitor.

"What? No, I don't like them." Jude shook her head, closing her eyes and screwing her face up as she felt the contraction.

"I can just… wait outside." Punk nodded awkwardly, standing up from the chair. He didn't enjoy seeing his daughter in distress and he really felt out of place in the room.

"No, sit!" Jude ordered as Punk got a fright, "I am already down a mom, and apparently a boyfriend too… just stay here." She warned her father as Punk looked at her. He could sense how much she needed him by the tone of her voice.

"Ok. Ok, I won't go." Punk assured her, walking back over to the bed side.

"Can I get you anything?" Thea asked Jude.

"More ice chips." Jude nodded.

"Ok." Thea nodded, "Ok, I'll be back in a minute." She said, taking the empty cup and walking out of the room to get more ice whilst Punk sat by the bed.

"You're doing real good." Punk nodded, rubbing Jude's arm softly.

"I thought mom would be here for this." Jude shook her head stressfully.

"I wish she was." Punk nodded.

"If Sean doesn't make it in time then you're next in line." Jude said.

"You don't want Thea?" Punk asked.

"No… no, she fusses too much and keeps touching my hair." Jude shook her head angrily.

"I mean I… I don't know, it's been a while since-"

"Oh, dad just shut up." Jude shook her head, "I'm not giving you the choice." She said as Punk smiled a little, "Is something amusing to you right now?" She wondered angrily.

"I… I never normally notice you like your mom but… I can see it right now." He admitted fondly as Jude smiled a little.

"Yeah she says we're all her when we're angry." Jude nodded as Punk smiled, "I really hope she gets to meet her." She sighed to herself worriedly.

"She will." Punk nodded, "And I can't wait to tell her how good you did." He said as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, don't speak too soon." Jude advised as he smiled.

"You got this in the bag, kid." Punk nodded confidently.

* * *

"Where is she? Did I miss it?" Sean ran down the corridor as Thea was sitting waiting outside.

"That room there." Thea pointed as Sean burst in the door, pausing as he saw Jude sitting up in the bed, with a moving bundle in her arms, visible little hands sticking up from beyond the blanket.

"Oh my God." He whispered to himself, walking over whilst Punk stood up and backed up to give them some space.

"Hey." Jude smiled, so glad to see him, "I had a… bit of a busy day." She admitted as Sean raised his eyebrows, getting a glimpse of his newborn daughter who had arrived safely and healthily, not too long ago.

"She's so perfect." Sean shook his head, "And small." He laughed a little, "Look at her little hands." He pointed.

"Yeah her hands are my favourite." Jude laughed a little as Sean leaned down and kissed her softly.

Punk smiled to himself, leaving the room quietly to give them some alone time with their new arrival, stepping out of the room where he saw Thea sitting.

"Hey." Punk said as she looked up at him, "You still mad at me?"

"Yes." Thea nodded as Punk sat down beside her.

"I'm not good at this stuff, Thea. At least not without your mom." Punk shook his head, "And I'm scared, and I'm trying not to show you girls that I'm scared, which I think is… just making it worse cause I'm pretending that everything is fine." He said as Thea looked at him, "I'm not… the responsible parent, I don't give the good advice, I don't have… patience and… understanding like your mom does." He said.

"Yes you do, dad." Thea shook her head, "You just need to find it. If not for yourself then for mom. She's gonna wake up and when she finds out you've been cursing out doctors and flipping out on everyone, she'll beat your ass." She shook her head as Punk laughed a little.

"She will and I'm… I'm so looking forward to it." Punk nodded, "Is it bad that I'd give anything to hear her yell at me." He shook his head, "Or… I'd give anything just to hear her, period." He said.

"Yeah, I know." Thea sighed, "At least when she wakes up she'll get to meet her new granddaughter."

"Yeah." Punk smiled, "I should go let Cassie know." He said.

"And you should go apologise to mom's doctor, who is doing everything he can to help her." Thea looked at him sternly as Punk nodded to himself.

"I'll do that on my way there." Punk assured her, "I apologise for speaking to you the way I did. I… I didn't mean it, I'm just… finding this difficult."

"I know. We all are." Thea assured him, "But don't take it out on us." She shook her head as he nodded.

"I won't. I'm sorry." He said as she just nodded.

"Go on. Go tell Cassie the good news." She smiled as Punk nodded to her.

Punk left the maternity unit and headed back down to the floor AJ was on. It had been a chaotic few hours but being able to witness his granddaughter being born had definitely lifted his spirits. Jude had don terrifically and the baby girl was healthy.

He walked down the ICU, noticing AJ's doctor standing as he approached him, "Hey… could I talk to you for a second?" Punk asked him as Paul nodded wearily.

"Is everything ok? I heard your daughter was having a baby." Paul said.

"Yeah… yeah, she had a baby girl not too long ago." Punk nodded proudly.

"Congratulations." Paul smiled as Punk nodded.

"I owe you an apology." Punk said, "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. You're doing your best to help my wife, and I am… so grateful to you and everyone else who is helping her. I just… I snapped and… well there's no excuse for how I spoke to you so I'm just gonna say I'm sorry." He nodded.

"It's alright." Paul nodded, "I understand this is a very hard time for you." He said, "Your wife is stable again for now. Stable might be a word that doesn't mean much to you right now but… stable for what has happened to her is very good." He made clear as Punk nodded.

"Thank you." Punk said as Paul nodded, walking off down the corridor as Punk headed down to AJ's room, walking on in where Cassie was sitting with AJ.

"Hey." Cassie stood up.

"Hey." Punk smiled, "You got a really perfect niece if you wanna go meet her." He said as Cassie raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"She's here?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, she's here. Her and Jude are doing great." Punk nodded.

"Oh my God." Cassie smiled, "Will you be ok here if I go up and see them?" Cassie asked.

"Of course. Go ahead." Punk smiled, watching as Cassie rushed out of the room to go meet her new baby niece and check on her sister.

Punk walked over to AJ's bed side, sitting down on the chair and taking her hand, "Ape, we got another grandkid." He smiled, looking on at AJ, "And she's beautiful." Punk said, "And Jude bossed the whole thing." He nodded, holding her hand tightly, "Her name is Mirren. And Jude and Sean tossed your name into the mix too for her middle name." He smiled, "I know you're gonna be stoked about that." He said, kissing her hand, sitting in the quiet room with her as the machines bleeped around her.


	41. Good Old Days

**Good Old Days**

* * *

"She's so beautiful." Cassie smiled, holding her newborn niece in her arms, standing in the room with Thea and Sean.

"Yeah, we think so too." Jude smiled as Sean sat down on the bed beside her, kissing her cheek.

"She really looks like you, Jude." Thea said, leaning over Cassie's shoulder and looking on at her sweet, sleeping niece.

"Yeah, dad said that too." Jude nodded, "Actually he said it's another Hey Jude." She said as the girls smiled.

"What happened with you and dad?" Cassie asked Thea, "We heard a lot of shouting before Jude's water broke." She said.

"He just flipped out. Starting cursing at the doctor like a little brat. He still acts like he's a kid sometimes." Thea shook her head.

"I think we gotta cut him some slack." Jude said, "He's scared." She said.

"Yeah but he can't behave like that, Jude. I mean, you didn't see mom acting like that when dad was gone." Thea shook her head.

"You gotta stop pitting them against one another." Jude said, "They're two different people. Mom has all her good and bad stuff, dad has all of his. We all deal with things differently." Jude said, "He's scared, we need to be there for him and not just expect him to be there for us." Jude said as Thea sighed to herself.

"Well we talked about it and we're ok now." Thea shook her head, "I think he just freaked out when he heard that mom had a seizure." She said, "But things like that are gonna happen. She's got a brain injury. It's… hard to tell what's gonna happen next."

"So there's really not been any change in her condition?" Sean asked.

"No." Jude shook her head sadly, "I really wanted her to be here to meet Mirren." She sighed to herself, feeling tears in her eyes.

This wasn't how she had planned her birth to go. She was heartbroken that her mother couldn't meet her daughter right now.

"Hey, she'll see her soon." Sean nodded positively, "It'll be a good surprise for her to wake up to." He said, kissing Jude's head as Jude wiped her tears with a tissue.

"Why can I not stop crying?" Jude sighed, "I saw my jug of water was empty and I started crying." She shook her head.

"Yeah, you'll be like that for a few days." Thea nodded, "Your hormones are all over the place."

"Did you really do it without any drugs?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "The nurse told me that the drugs don't really take much pain away anyway." She shrugged, "So I thought, what's the point?"

"Well she is pretty cute." Cassie nodded, looking down at Mirren, "What weight is she?"

"Six pounds and nine ounces." Jude said, "She's small but… she's healthy." She nodded, "They did all these tests with her after she was born to make sure she was all good. I guess she's just a little smaller because she's three weeks early."

"Makes sense." Cassie nodded, "How does it feel? To be a mom?" Cassie smiled.

"I don't actually feel much different." Jude admitted, "Is that worrying?" She turned to Sean.

"Of course it's not." Sean shook his head.

"It'll hit you gradually." Thea nodded, "Is the nursery all set? Is there anything you guys need us to do?" She asked.

"I had one corner of the nursery still to paint." Jude scoffed, "I thought I had three weeks to finish it." She said unhappily as Sean chuckled.

"I'm sure she won't mind." Sean assured her, "Everything is built so… we should be good to go." He nodded to Thea and Cassie.

"Well we're here if you need anything. Any help." Thea nodded.

"Thank you." Jude smiled, "What I really need right now is some sleep." She admitted, "You guys are welcome to stay and watch me." She nodded, trying to sit comfy in bed as Sean helped her.

"No, we'll go and let you get some sleep." Cassie nodded, passing Mirren over to Sean who took the baby girl.

"Mom told me I should sleep when she's sleeping." Jude remembered as Thea smiled.

"Yeah, mom knows best." Thea agreed, "We'll go check on dad." She said as Cassie nodded, leaving the room whilst Sean put Mirren down in the bassinet.

"She's the best." Sean shook his head, amazed and in awe by their baby daughter and all the joy she had brought him already.

"She is." Jude smiled as Sean looked over to her, watching her resting her head back on the pillow.

"Hey, before you sleep… can we talk for a second?" Sean asked, sitting down on the chair by the bed, discreetly reaching into his jacket pocket which hung over the back.

"Sure." Jude nodded, "I can't promise my eyes won't just start closing, though." She admitted with a tired smile.

"It won't take long." Sean smiled, taking out the velvet box from his pocket as Jude watched.

"What are you doing?" Jude asked, suddenly wide awake, watching him stand up and push the chair back behind him, getting down on one knee, "No, stop." Jude laughed a little, not being able to turn away.

"Jude, you are the best person I've ever known." Sean nodded, "There's no one else I'm ever gonna wanna spend my life with." He said, "Will you marry me?" He smiled, opening up the ring box as Jude looked on, clasping her hands over her mouth.

"Yes." Jude nodded, "Of course I will." She cried as he stood up, kissing her sweetly as she cupped his face.

* * *

"Please tell me you've been home." Dean walked into AJ's room as Punk turned around.

"No, I haven't." Punk said.

"Dude… you're gonna lose your mind carrying on like this. You gotta sleep for a few hours." Dean shook his head, seriously concerned that his brother had been in the hospital for almost forty eight hours without sleeping any or going home.

"I don't gotta do anything. I'm fine." Punk said, watching Dean walk around the bed, "I don't think you can eat in here." He said, noticing Dean had a box with some donuts in them.

"They're not for me." Dean assured him, sitting them on the table beside AJ's bed, "I'm hoping if she smells them she might wake up." He nodded as Punk chuckled a little.

"Maybe." Punk chuckled.

"How is Jude and the baby doing?" Dean asked him, "Renee is gonna come in after work and visit them. Chrissy and Sarah too."

"They're doing good. Both healthy." Punk nodded positively.

"It's nice to hear some good news." Dean nodded.

"Yeah, it is." Punk agreed, "Six pounds and nine ounces." He said, "She's tiny." He smiled to himself.

"I can't believe you got three grandkids." Dean shook his head, "It's crazy." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Punk laughed a little, "I wish she was awake to meet her. She was so excited for Jude." He sighed to himself.

"It'll be a good thing for her to wake up to." Dean nodded.

"Yeah." Punk agreed, "Do you remember when we used to drive her crazy with the music in the apartment?" Punk smiled as Dean nodded, remembering fondly.

"Yeah." Dean chuckled, "Those were the good old days." He nodded to himself.

* * *

"_Phil." AJ hissed, storming out of their bedroom with one year old Thea in her arms, "Phil, I'm trying to get her down to sleep." AJ walked into the living room where music was playing loudly._

"_Hey!" Dean called drunkenly, "There's my little T-bag." He stood up from the couch, crushing an empty beer can. He wasn't overly drunk, but had a tipsy glow about him._

"_Dean, stop calling her T-bag." Punk said, sitting over on the couch._

"_But she's my little T-bag." Dean frowned, taking Thea from AJ into his arms, "You wanna dance with Uncle Dean?" He asked, swaying around the room with baby Thea in his arms who began to smile which caused AJ and Punk to chuckle, "Yeah? You like Duran Duran? Little Punk baby." He nodded, drunkenly dancing around the living room as Punk just laughed to himself._

"_This makes me nervous." AJ admitted, putting her hands on her hips, "The music is too loud, and he's too drunk." AJ looked over at Punk._

"_He's fine." Punk scoffed, "It's funny." He laughed as AJ walked over to him._

"_Phil, Thea needs to be asleep. She's in a routine." AJ said as Punk tugged on her hand, pulling her onto his lap, "Phil." She tried to reject his affection, but it was impossible._

"_She's having fun." Punk said, kissing AJ's cheek as she sat on his lap, turning around and watching as Dean spun Thea around._

"_He's gonna make her sick." AJ shook her head but with a smile, watching as Dean almost tripped up over his own feet, "Ok, that's it. Fun is over." AJ stood up worriedly, "No more dancing." She insisted, taking Thea from Dean, "Turn it down, please." She nodded to Punk._

"_Ok." Punk said, turning the music down as he watched her walk out of the living room with Thea to go put her down to sleep._

"_I need another beer." Dean nodded, walking back over to the couch, sitting down and drunkenly missing the couch, collapsing down on the floor as Punk laughed loudly._

"_Dude." Punk chuckled, pushing Dean's head, "You're a fucking idiot."_

"_Did you move that couch?" Dean asked him as Punk chuckled even louder._

_Dean was at the apartment almost every night, not always drunk of course, but it was payday weekend and they had gotten off from work, bought a few new records which had dropped in the store, picked up a pizza and for Dean, Punk had bought him some beers. They'd learned their lessons from the partying and the idiotic behaviour from when they were young. All three of them had._

"_I didn't move the couch." Punk insisted as Dean got back to his feet, collapsing down on the couch and pulling out his cigarettes, "Out the window." Punk insisted._

"_Why?" Dean screwed his face up._

"_April doesn't like smoke around the baby or in the apartment." Punk said, "And neither do I."_

"_Doesn't April smoke?" Dean scoffed._

"_No, she quit." Punk said. _

"_Your kid is gonna grow up so high class." Dean groaned._

"_I guarantee you she won't." Punk chuckled, watching as Dean knelt up over the back of the couch, opening up the apartment window wide to have his cigarette._

"_Hey, it's Bobby." Dean looked out onto the street, "Bobby!" Dean yelled as Punk rolled his eyes. There was no shame in the fact that people knew who they were. For bad reasons or for good, depending on who it was._

"_I thought he was still in prison." Punk said, kneeling up beside Dean and looking out the window, "Oh, Robert!" Punk called loudly and sophisticatedly._

"_It's you assholes!" Robert looked up._

"_I thought you were still in prison!" Punk yelled down._

"_They let me out early!" Robert called._

"_I'm sure all the shoe departments in every store in Chicago will be alerted!" Dean yelled._

"_Yeah, fuck you Dean!" Robert called up as Dean stuck his middle finger up at him._

"_What the hell are you two doing?" AJ shook her head, walking back into the living as she saw Punk and Dean hanging out the window._

"_Bobby is out of prison." Dean told her._

"_Bobby?" AJ shook her head, rushing over, jumping up on the couch and leaning over Punk to look out the window, gasping and laughing, "Shoe store Bobby?" AJ chuckled._

"_Yeah." Punk laughed to himself, "Ask him if he's got new shoes." Punk nudged Dean as AJ laughed to herself._

"_Bobby! Is that new shoes?!" Dean called as AJ and Punk chuckled._

"_I thought he got years?" AJ asked, leaning over Punk's back._

"_He got out on good behaviour." Punk said as Dean shook his head._

"_Fucking idiot." Dean laughed to himself._

"_Is Thea down?" Punk asked AJ who nodded, leaning over his back._

"_Yeah, she's down. That is if you two keep it down." She warned._

"_Motherhood has made you crabby." Dean turned to AJ who grabbed his cigarette and threw it out the window, "Hey." Dean frowned as Punk laughed whilst AJ made a kiss face at him, leaning her head on Punk's back comfortably._


	42. The Glue

**The Glue**

* * *

"Dad?" Cassie walked into the hospital room where Punk was sitting by AJ's bed. She couldn't believe he had been awake all this time without even falling asleep on the chair. It broke her heart to see him sitting watching her mother.

"Yeah?" Punk turned around. His eyes were nipping. He felt delirious. The machinery bleeping in the room felt louder, and then it got quiet, and then it got extremely loud again. Sometimes he felt like his brain was sleeping whilst his eyes stayed open. He just couldn't bear to part with his wife. He couldn't face going home, going into their bed on his own.

"Jude and Sean are engaged." She let her father know as Punk raised his eyebrows.

"They are?" Punk asked as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah." Cassie smiled, "Yeah, he proposed not that long ago." She nodded.

"Oh, yeah… yeah, he asked me a couple weeks back. Well… he didn't ask, I guess. He told me he was proposing." Punk said, "Good. Good, I'm so happy for them." Punk nodded, "So happy for Jude." He shook his head.

"Yeah me too." Cassie smiled.

"How is the baby?" Punk asked.

"She's great. She's actually quiet. I think Jude is worried about the lack of noise she's making. She kept poking her." Cassie shook her head as Punk chuckled a little, "I think she's gonna be a worrying mom."

"Well… it's Jude. If she hasn't got anything to worry about, she'll go find something to worry about." Punk nodded, "But… she'll be fine." He said as Cassie nodded.

"Thea's gone home to see Dominic and the kids. She looks exhausted." Cassie said, "You look exhausted." She emphasised.

"I'm fine." Punk shook his head.

"Dad, you're not fine. You're… You're gonna make yourself sick like this. You're not eating or sleeping. You've been here for over two days now without leaving. It's time for you to go home." Cassie said. It was now past the point of them suggesting. They now decided, as sisters, that they had to tell their father to leave.

"I'm not leaving until she's awake. Then I'll… go home and sleep a little bit." Punk shrugged.

"No, you're going home tonight." Cassie said, "You'll be no use to mom if you can barely keep your eyes opened. She's gonna need us to take care of her for a while and you acting like this won't help." She said, "You need strength."

"I get my strength from her." Punk said.

"No, you get it from taking care of yourself. Sleeping and eating." Cassie said, "She's in a stable condition-"

"What if she has another seizure?" Punk asked, "And I'm not here."

"The doctor will control it." Cassie said, "Dad, she could be like this for a little while. What are you gonna do? Not sleep for days? Weeks?" She asked, "I'm taking you home tonight. I'm not asking, I'm telling. You're getting in the car and we're going home. We'll have dinner. Sofia and James are staying at the house so you can… play with them, and then you get a full night sleep. We'll come back in the morning." Cassie said.

She heard how it sounded, and it sounded cruel, but she knew what her mother would expect from her, and she knew her mother would want them all to be healthy, especially Punk who tended to make silly decisions. She knew her mother would expect them to look after him.

"No, I just… I just wanna stay with her." Punk insisted.

"I know you do." Cassie nodded, walking over to him and sitting down on the chair beside him, "I know you just wanna stay here and… that's not the issue. The issue is you're exhausted. She'd be real upset to see you like this." She said as Punk sighed to himself.

"Yeah, she would." He realised.

"Will you please just… come home?" Cassie asked softly as Punk looked at AJ, turning to Cassie and nodding slowly.

"Yeah… yeah, ok." Punk nodded.

* * *

"What is he doing?" Thea asked standing in her parent's kitchen with Cassie and Dominic whilst the kids had their dinner.

"He's taking a shower." Cassie said.

"How'd you get him to come home?" Thea asked.

"I just… talked to him. Said we were all concerned about him and that he's gonna end up sick." Cassie said as Thea nodded.

"Mommy." Sofia said, sitting at the table with her brother having some spaghetti for dinner which Thea had quickly made for them.

"What, baby?" Thea said.

"Did Auntie Jude have her baby?" Sofia asked curiously as James gasped beside her.

"She did?" James asked, "Was it a boy?"

"We all knew it was gonna be a girl." Cassie laughed a little.

"Oh." James said, "Why is there never any boys?" He huffed as Dominic chuckled.

"Do you guys wanna see a picture of the baby?" Thea asked, getting her phone from her purse. It had been difficult balancing being there for her mother, her sister and also coming back to help Dominic with the kids.

"What is her name?" Sofia asked as Thea crouched down between them at the table, showing them the pictures of Mirren.

"Her name is Mirren." Thea said, showing them some pictures of their baby cousin, "She's cute, right?"

"She's like my dollies." Sofia said sweetly, jumping off the chair and running out of the kitchen.

"She'll be away to get one of her dolls." Dominic nodded as Cassie smiled.

"Mommy, look. She's like my dolly." Sofia emerged back into the kitchen with her doll, holding it in her arms like a real baby, "Like this? This is my baby." Sofia told everyone, getting back up on the kitchen chair.

"But Aunt Jude's is real." James told his sister as Thea chuckled, kissing James on the head.

"I take care of my baby doll, though." Sofia said.

"Good job, baby." Thea smiled, "Are you practising for when you get to hold Mirren?"

"Yes." Sofia nodded as Thea smiled, looking up at Dominic who was equally smiling. The kids were definitely a bright spot in all of this sadness and worrying they were all doing. Their free spirit and bubbly personalities definitely helped.

Meanwhile Punk had gotten out of the shower, leaving the bathroom and walking over to the bed which he sat down on, running his hands over his wet hair.

Somehow the house felt different. Walking home tonight, pulling up outside, everything felt different. And all he could think about was the fact his wife had done this for eight years. She'd lived with this feeling for eight years before, and he was only getting a tiny glimpse into that life she lived.

He put on some shorts and t-shirt, tossing the used towel into the washing, looking on at the framed picture of he and his wife sitting on his wife's dresser. A picture of them when they were younger, a selfie before selfies were even a thing. He always teased her about it and told her that he could see both their pours, it was so close-up, but he knew how much she adored it.

* * *

_2 years ago…_

"_You're not framing that, are you?" Punk scoffed, lying in bed one night reading a comic book, watching his wife sitting up a frame on her dresser, "It's bad enough I had to look at it on the fridge, now I gotta see it as the first thing I wake up to?"_

"_How do you not love this picture?" AJ asked him with confusion._

"_Look at our big ass foreheads in it." Punk shook his head._

"_It's just because it's a close-up. I think we look cute." AJ smiled, "You're just sad you don't have that gorgeous blonde hair anymore."_

"_That's exactly it." Punk agreed as she chuckled, "Most people put their wedding pictures up or something." He said._

"_Baby, I'm not most people." She reminded him as he smiled to himself._

"_That's true." Punk said, "I still think that picture is for your memory box, though. Seriously, look how big our foreheads are." He said._

"_Well I like it." AJ smiled, not caring what he thought. It was one of her favourite pictures of them and it was staying up._

"_Do you still have your memory box?" Punk wondered._

"_Of course I do, it's under the bed." AJ said, walking around the bed, crouching down and bringing out a shoe box from under the bed._

"_I never took you for a hoarder." Punk said._

"_It's not hoarding." AJ laughed, sitting on the bed beside him, "It's… memories." She shrugged, "Good memories." She nodded. She kept pictures, keepsakes, small items which meant a lot to her or had a story to them in the box._

"_Ok, explain how keeping a lock of hair from Thea's first haircut is good memories. That girl screamed that hairdressers down to the ground." He shook his head as AJ chuckled._

"_She did." AJ remembered, "But it… it was my first baby's first haircut." AJ shrugged._

"_I find it hilarious that you keep cute memories about our kids in here, with a naked picture of yourself." He nodded as AJ chuckled to herself._

"_Well where else am I going to keep it?" AJ asked him, "I need this to show you when we're ninety in case you forget how I hot I was." She said as he scoffed._

"_Please, you will always be hot to me." Punk assured her as she smiled._

"_That's the right reply." She nodded, "I still remember taking these pictures." She laughed with slight embarrassment, passing some of them to him, "I bought the camera with the money I had… stolen." She said, "I thought I was so retro."_

"_Well you weren't, in case I didn't tell you back then." He said as she chuckled._

"_Believe me, I know." AJ said, "I also remember this was the night I got rejected from another job interview I had gone for." She said as he nodded._

"_Wait a second!" Punk gasped, "Is there a picture of my penis in here?" He leaned into the box worriedly as AJ chuckled, "There is." He noticed, "You're wrong for that." He couldn't help laugh as AJ smiled._

"_What? That's for me to remember how hot you used to be when we're ninety." She grinned to him as he shook his head. Still crazy. Still that sixteen year old girl he fell deeply in love with. Still his April, the way only he knew her._

* * *

Punk made his way downstairs, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen where some of his family were.

"Hey." Cassie smiled.

"Papa!" Sofia gasped, "Papa, look I've got my baby dolly like aunt Jude." She said.

"But it's not real." James inserted as Punk smiled. They were hard characters not to smile at.

"Are you practising for when you meet Mirren?" Punk asked Sofia, walking over to them and giving them a double hug, one which he desperately needed.

"Yes." Sofia told him.

"Papa, I drew you a picture." James told him.

"Yeah?" Punk said, "Let me get eyes on it."

"It's on the fridge." Thea nodded as Punk stood up straight, walking over to the fridge and looking at the picture which appeared to be him and James with capes on.

"We're superheroes?" Punk asked.

"Yeah." James smiled, "I'm the main superhero and you're my helper." He clarified as Punk chuckled and nodded.

"Well obviously." Punk agreed.

"I made it because mommy said you're sad." James said.

"James." Thea shook her head, not expecting him to say that.

"Well this picture doesn't make me sad." Punk assured James, "I love it." He smiled.

"Papa, come sit with me and have dinner." Sofia demanded as Punk laughed a little. She really was just a miniature Thea. She acted just like Thea did at that age and that made Punk smile a lot.

"Yes, ma'am." Punk nodded, accepting that he had to do what he was told, sitting down at the table whilst Thea got them something for dinner.

"Who cooked up this?" Punk asked.

"Mommy." James said.

"So I should look out for burnt bits?" Punk asked the kids as James made an O with his mouth.

"I heard that." Thea hummed but with a smile.

"She heard you." Sofia whispered as Punk smiled. He was grateful for his family. For his girls, his grandkids, his brother and everyone who was keeping his head up. It reminded him that he needed to do better for them. And be better for them. But the main thing he was reminded of was that his wife was the biggest asset to this family. She was the glue that held them all together. This difficult time had made that more clearer than ever.

"Here you go. Dig in." Thea nodded, sitting down dinner for everyone.

"Thank you." Punk nodded to Thea as she smiled, rubbing his shoulder, heading over to the fridge to grab some drinks for them whilst there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Cassie nodded, leaving the kitchen and walking down the hall, opening up the door and pausing with slight shock and confusion.

"Hi, Cassie." Daniel nodded nervously.


	43. Bad Timing

**Bad Timing**

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?" Cassie shook her head, stepping out of the house and closing the door behind her, "My dad could have answered the door." She said with worry.

"Well… that was sort of the idea." Daniel admitted.

"Huh?" Cassie shook her head.

"Well I… I've thought about it, thought about it a lot over the past couple of weeks and… you're right. I have this family out there and I know nothing about anyone. I assume you could tell I… I live on my own. I guess I'm just kinda scared to put myself out there-"

"Oh Gosh…" Cassie groaned a little. She felt like her curiosity had come back to bite her in the ass. Through all the chaos, and through no fault of her own, she'd forgotten all about Daniel and the fact she had left things hanging with him.

"You know… for the one who came looking for me, you don't look thrilled about it." Daniel laughed awkwardly.

"No… no it's not that." Cassie sighed, "Just… right now isn't a very good time." She admitted, "My mom is in hospital."

"Oh… Oh, I'm sorry." Daniel shook his head, "What's wrong with her? Is she ill?"

"No, she was in a bad car accident a few days ago. She's… in a coma so things haven't been great. We've just managed to get my dad home tonight. My sister also had a baby earlier this morning." She added, "It's been crazy."

"It sounds it." Daniel nodded, "Oh… well I'm sorry about your mom. I hope things get better for her." He said as Cassie nodded.

"Did you really come here and… hope to talk to my dad?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah I was… rehearsing everything I was gonna say on my way here." Daniel laughed a little, "But… it's a bad time, obviously. He doesn't need me popping up now." He shook his head as Cassie sighed.

She hated to see him pluck up the courage to come here, only to be turned away, but there was no way she could expose her dad to all of this stuff right now. Not now.

"It's not always gonna be like this. My mom will get better." Cassie made clear, "And that would be a good time to come and… speak to my dad." She nodded.

"Maybe this is a sign. Maybe I shouldn't… maybe it's too far gone." He debated with himself.

"Hey, no… no, it's not." Cassie shook her head, "I can imagine how nervous you were coming here and… that's a huge step forward. I don't know how my dad will react to you. It could be great, it could be awful… he has a big mouth, doesn't really think before he says things but… he has a big heart." Cassie assured him, "Please don't let this put you off. Things will get better and it could be the best thing you'll ever do." She said as Daniel looked across at her, nodding slowly.

"Cassie?" Thea walked out of the house, looking on at the older man standing across from Cassie.

Cassie had told Jude and Thea about wanting to seek out their grandfather, but never did she tell them she had actually met with him multiple times.

"I should go…" Daniel got nervous.

"No, wait." Cassie shook her head, turning back to Thea.

"Who is this?" Thea asked her little sister.

"Thea, this is Daniel." Cassie nodded, "Dad's dad." She said as Thea raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Thea squeaked almost as Cassie nodded.

"This is my oldest sister, Thea." Cassie nodded to Daniel, "Who also has a big mouth." She added to make him aware.

"Cassie, what the hell are you doing?" Thea shook her head, "Are you kidding me with this? Right now?" She asked.

"I'll go. I'm sorry about this, Cassie." Daniel said, "It was nice to meet you." He nodded to Thea who just looked at him, watching him back away and head off down the street.

"Cassie." Thea turned to Cassie with concern, "What are you doing?"

"Look, I've met him a couple times before. In fact it was before even Theo died. He's… he's nice. He's just scared and lonely-"

"Didn't he murder someone?" Thea shook her head.

"Well I don't… I don't know the details around that exactly." Cassie said, "I'm taking him as I see him, and I see a lonely man who has a whole family out there, sons he wants to meet and get to know-"

"It's a little bit late, don't you think?" Thea shook her head, "Do you really think dad and Dean are interested in this? Isn't it been too long?"

"No… No, it's their dad. And they know nothing about him. It's not like he was with them and he left them. He was… he was gone before they even knew him." Cassie said, "And we don't know why."

"Well cause he's clearly insane. He's spent most of his life in prison. Why are you bringing that into our life? Now of all times?" Thea asked.

"Well I didn't know he was gonna show up right now, did I?" Cassie said, "Look we know what it's like to lose a dad and then build a relationship back up with him. Maybe dad and Dean can do that with him. And he's lonely. It seems ridiculous that he lives ten minutes away on his own and we're all here." She said.

"This isn't your decision to make, though. If dad wanted to meet his dad, that would be his call. By doing this, you're not giving him a choice. You're just… bringing him in." Thea said, "Dad only cares about one thing right now and that's mom."

"Yeah and that's why I told Daniel that now wasn't a good time, but… I mean he's come such a long way. At first he didn't want anything to do with this and now he's… he came here with the intention to talk to dad."

"Look, can we just… focus on mom right now?" Thea asked, "This guy can wait-"

"Well yeah, I know." Cassie nodded.

"Ok just… come in and have your dinner. It's getting cold." Thea nodded to her, guiding her back into the house. She didn't even have the energy right now to think about their grandfather making an appearance like that.

* * *

The next morning, Punk woke up after sleeping right through the night. His body had finally gave in and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he crashed into a deep sleep. He was grateful for that as he didn't wish to constantly toss and turn, looking at the empty space beside him in bed.

He got up, showered, forced himself some oatmeal and banana whilst sitting with his grandkids, before heading to the hospital with Thea and Cassie.

"Is Jude getting home today?" Cassie asked, walking into the hospital with her sister and dad.

"I think so." Thea said, "This afternoon probably. She called me last night crying." She said.

"Why?" Punk turned to her.

"She just said she's worried that she won't be able to come see mom as much now that the baby is here." Thea explained.

"She doesn't have to worry about that." Punk sighed, "I'll go speak to her today before she leaves." Punk nodded, walking down the corridor, "She's got a baby now. She has to take care of herself and Mirren. Mom will still be here." He nodded with assurance as the girls nodded.

"How'd you sleep?" Cassie asked him.

"I feel like I might have been unconscious." Punk laughed a little, "I just crashed."

"Yeah well you _were_ exhausted." Cassie said, "You gotta take care of yourself too." She reminded him as Punk just nodded, walking down the corridor towards AJ's room.

He opened up the room door, walking in and pausing as Thea and Cassie stood beside him.

"Oh my God." Thea placed her hand over her mouth as Punk paused across the room where finally, he could see his wife's eyes for the first time in days. Open and looking directly at them, and then followed by a small, tired smile. He could have cried. He wanted to cry. He did cry.

"April?" He shook his head, walking over to the bed, "Hey." He laughed in disbelief. He felt like he was in a dream. It almost seemed too good to be true.

"Hi." AJ whispered tiredly as Punk smiled, leaning over and kissing her cheek as she lifted her hand, cupping his face for as long as she could keep her arm up before resting it back down.

"I can't believe you're awake." Punk shook his head, cupping her face and kissing her head, kissing her cheek, kissing anywhere he could as gently as possible. He could see she was still out of it, tired and drowsy, but just to see her making movements, to hear her whisper and see her eyes. It felt like a miracle.

"Hey, mom." Thea smiled with teary eyes. She couldn't describe the relief she felt seeing her mother awake, finally. The few days had felt like years without her.

AJ waved her hand at Thea and Cassie, gesturing them to come over to her. She was drowsy and still coming round gradually, but she knew her family and she sought comfort in them immediately.

"Hey." Cassie smiled, leaning down and hugging her mother as Thea did the same.

"We missed you." Thea said, brushing her hand over her mother's hair, drying her tears as AJ smiled softly whilst Punk continued to watch in disbelief.

"Mister Brooks." Paul, AJ's doctor came into the room as Punk turned around, "Could I speak with you?" He asked as Punk nodded.

"Yeah… yeah." Punk nodded, wiping his eyes and walking off out of the room, "She's awake." He told the doctor, as if he didn't already know.

"She is." Paul smiled, "And she's doing really well." He nodded, "She started coming around through the night. We kept a close eye on her, kept her fully monitored and… slowly but surely she started to make more progress. We've ran some tests and also done another scan to look at brain activity but… there's no sign of any permanent brain damage." He said as Punk took a deep breath and nodded, "Which is a very good sign." He clarified as Punk nodded, "It's perfectly normally for her to be a little confused, agitated and sleepy."

"Ok… ok." Punk nodded, he was just desperate to go back in and see AJ.

"We'll be keeping a close eye on her still but… this is very good news." Paul nodded.

"Thank you." Punk nodded sincerely.

"You can go back in. If you have any questions or worries just come see me. You'll find me around here somewhere." He said as Punk nodded, watching him walk away.

Punk wasted no time and headed back into the room, still in awe that his wife was awake and appeared to be doing extremely well.

"Phil." AJ whispered, waving her hand at Punk for him to come over.

"What is it, baby?" Punk asked, walking over to her bedside.

"Are you ok?" She asked tiredly as Punk looked at her. Of course that was the first thing she asked him.

"Yes… yes, I'm ok." Punk laughed a little, sitting down by her bed an taking her hand as she nodded, "We're all ok." He assured her.

"Did you… did you go to that class without me?" She asked, poking his knee unhappily as the girls chuckled.

"Of course I didn't." Punk promised, "I don't do things without you." He said as she smiled tiredly, closing her eyes over for a few seconds. Even in her weak state, she was still her usual self, and he had never been more relieved.

"I'll go tell Jude." Thea whispered, nodding to her dad and escaping the room as AJ opened up her eyes again.

"I crashed the car." She told Punk as he nodded.

"I know." Punk nodded, "I know, but you're gonna be ok." He said, kissing her hand.

For a few days, he'd gotten a glimpse of what it was like to live without her, to fear of losing her in his life, and it was horrifying. Every single part of it. He never needed this to make him realise how much he loved his wife, because he always knew how much he loved her, but it was just a reminder of everything she did for their family, and the impact she had on all their lives.

"Are you ok?" AJ asked him again as he smiled.

"I'm ok, baby." Punk assured her.

"Cassie." AJ looked over at Cassie.

"Yeah?" Cassie smiled.

"Are you ok?" AJ asked.

"I'm ok, mom." Cassie assured her as AJ nodded, closing her eyes back over as Punk looked over to Cassie with a smile.

There was no doubt she was going to be in a delicate condition for some time, but she had gotten over the biggest hurdle, and they were all there to help her and support her back to good health again after this terrifying scare.

Sometime later, Thea came back into the room, this time with Jude and Sean who were on the way out of the hospital with their new arrival. Jude couldn't believe the news her sister had for her, and was overwhelmed by the fact her mother had woken up. It made her cry and it made her smile so much.

AJ lifted her head a little from the pillow when she saw Jude coming into the room, and immediately she noticed her bump had gone down, and then she noticed Sean holding a baby carrier in his hand.

"Mom." Jude cried with relief, making her way over to her mother's bed, carefully leaning over and giving her a much needed hug. Becoming a mom had been so difficult without her mom being around. Just seeing her awake made her feel like everything would be ok.

"Hi, baby." AJ whispered softly as Jude smiled.

"Someone got impatient, April." Sean nodded, sitting the baby carrier on one of the chairs, taking Mirren out as Punk smiled, "She was born yesterday." He said, walking over to the bedside where Jude was standing to let AJ see her new granddaughter.

"What's her name?" AJ smiled.

"Mirren… April." Jude nodded as AJ smiled. Her head felt fuzzy and everything felt a little distant but like always, she had her family surrounding her, and she was getting to meet her granddaughter.

"She really couldn't wait?" AJ asked quietly as they laughed a little, "Can I hold her?" She asked Jude who nodded.

"Of course." Jude smiled, drying her tears whilst Punk helped AJ sit up a little better whilst Sean passed Mirren over to her, standing close by just for precaution.

"She's beautiful." AJ whispered, looking down at her granddaughter whilst Thea stood over with Cassie, leaning into her.

"We think so too." Sean smiled, keeping his hands slightly holding Mirren as he could see AJ's arms weren't all that strong enough to hold her.

Jude turned into her father, hugging into him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They were all in awe of their mother's strength, and so relieved to see her awake and stable.


	44. Not Waiting

**Not Waiting**

* * *

AJ was in and out of sleep for most of the day. Jude and Sean left with Mirren after AJ spent a little time with her. Thea and Cassie shortly followed home, definitely on a more positive note so far. Punk stayed, of course, assuring the girls that he'd be home later on, that he just wanted to spend some time with AJ on his own, which they completely understood.

"Do you have a hairbrush?" AJ tapped Punk's hand.

"I don't know, let me check my purse." Punk smiled a little as she raised an unimpressed eyebrow, followed by a small smile. She was tired, but she could hear his usual sarcastic comments just fine.

"I need a hairbrush." AJ said.

"Thea is gonna pack you a bag tonight and bring it in tomorrow morning. Some clean pyjamas, comfy clothes, bathroom stuff-"

"I'd rather go home." AJ commented as Punk nodded.

"I know you would but… you might be in for a few more days. They're still running some tests, making sure you're still wired in there." He nodded to her head as she smiled a little.

"I can't really remember it." AJ admitted. As the day went on, her speech had improved, her ability to move her arms and legs had come back stronger. Doctor Paul had assured Punk she would regain more ability to move and speak better as time passed by.

"That's ok." Punk assured her.

"I remember leaving work and… driving to that class but then… then it just goes blank." AJ said as Punk nodded.

"I think that's normal given what's happened." Punk said.

"What… did happen?" AJ wondered, "Was it just a collision?" She asked him as he looked across at her.

"Uh… yeah, you were at a crossroads going forward, someone crashed into you from the side… your head went through the side door window." He said as AJ nodded slowly.

"Sounds like fun." She whispered, "Was anyone else hurt?" She asked as Punk nodded.

"Yeah… the… the man in the other car passed away at the scene." Punk nodded as she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh my God." AJ whispered to herself, "He died?"

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "He wasn't wearing a seatbelt."

"Oh God." AJ groaned sadly.

"Thea suggested that we… we find out his name and send his family some flowers or something." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah… yeah, of course." AJ said. It was beginning to sink in for her just how lucky she was, and how much danger she had been in during these past few days. She knew it easily could have been her, and that was a scary thought, "Have you been behaving?" She asked him curiously.

"Hey, April." A cheery nurse walked into the room as Punk turned around.

"Hi." AJ nodded.

"I've got some dinner for you if you want to try eating some. I've also got some dessert." The nurse said, pulling over the bed tray to sit the food on as AJ looked at it.

"I'm not hungry." AJ insisted.

"Ok, I tell you what? I'll leave it here for a little bit and if you feel like eating some, it's there for you." She said as AJ just nodded, watching her leave the room.

"Why do they all talk to me like I'm five?" AJ asked him as Punk just smiled. Stubborn was her middle name.

"They're just looking after you." Punk assured her, "That actually looks kinda good." He looked at the dinner as AJ shook her head.

"No it doesn't." AJ said childishly as Punk smiled, "Have you been behaving?" She remembered her question before the nurse came in.

"Of course I have." Punk laughed a little as she looked at him, "You don't think I have?" He asked.

"You're a very messy person, Phil." AJ nodded, "I don't mean in terms of… laundry on the floor." She said as he nodded to himself.

"It's been hard." Punk nodded, "We didn't know when you were gonna wake up." He said, "But we got by and… we're all fine." He assured her, "Thea and Dominic have been staying at the house with the kids. Jude has obviously been preoccupied." He said.

"How was she?" AJ sighed, "Mirren is beautiful."

"She is." Punk agreed, "She was great. I… wound up having to be her birthing partner, which I thought was… kinda ironic because she's the only one I got to see being born." He said, "But she bossed the whole thing. No drugs. She just did it."

"Why wasn't Sean there?" AJ asked.

"He got caught up in ridiculous traffic. And she didn't want Thea because she kept fussing over her." Punk laughed a little, "So… I made the cut." He nodded.

"Super dad." AJ smiled to herself.

"Well… second best, actually. She wanted you but… I think I did ok." He said as AJ smiled.

"Of course you did." AJ said, "How long do you think I'll be here?" She wondered.

"Well how are you feeling?" Punk asked her, "And you can tell me the truth."

"My head is… a tad sore." AJ nodded, "And the bright lights really hurt. And sometimes I feel like this bed is moving. And I feel a little nauseous." She admitted as Punk nodded.

"Did you tell the doctor that?" Punk asked.

"I just said I was fine." AJ shrugged.

"Ape, you gotta let him know. So they can help you. So you can get out of here quicker." Punk nodded, "You've been through a lot. Your head especially. It's serious." He said. He knew his wife had a tendency to downplay things, especially when it was regards to her health and safety.

"No doctors or nurses are helping me get changed." AJ warned him, having to accept the fact she was gonna be in hospital for perhaps a few days or more.

"I'll help you." Punk assured.

"Well it's a good job I like you then." AJ said as Punk smiled. He'd missed her charm, her sweet comments, her voice in general, "How have the girls been?" She wondered. It was difficult to think she'd been out of it for almost three days. She felt very disconnected from everything and everyone.

"They've been upset." Punk nodded, "There's been a couple of fights and disagreements but… they've been fine." He said, "Jude is upset that she might not be able to come see you as much now with having the baby home-"

"I don't want her to visit me, she should be enjoying this time with Mirren." AJ said, "Settling down with her and… getting her in a routine. I don't want anyone worrying about me." She shook her head at the fuss.

"Well that's not up to you." Punk nodded with a smile as she scoffed.

"So… who has all been in here watching me in my coma?" AJ asked as Punk laughed a little.

"All of us." Punk nodded, "Dean's been here a lot. Renee popped by. Sam-"

"Oh, call her mom." AJ groaned, picking up the jello and spoon as Punk smiled.

"I don't do that." He said, "Sam, the girls obviously, Sean and Dominic, some people from your work who I pretended to know." He nodded, "You've been popular."

"Clearly." AJ said, "Why is it always jello?" She asked him, "Why not… chocolate cake or something?" She asked.

"It's easier on the throat I guess." Punk nodded, "How is it?"

"Tastes like watery sugar." AJ shook her head.

"I'm just glad you're eating." Punk rubbed her arm softly as she smiled to him.

* * *

"I think you should tell him." Thea nodded.

"No way. Not right now anyway." Cassie said, standing in the kitchen with her sister.

"You don't know when this… Daniel guy is gonna show up. If I was dad, I wouldn't want the father who left me to just catch me off guard and appear out of nowhere." Thea said, "I'm not comfortable with knowing this."

"Well good job it's not about you then." Cassie shook her head, opening up the fridge and grabbing out some milk, "Can't we just… celebrate mom waking up. This stuff with Daniel can wait." She shook her head.

"What are you doing?" Thea questioned.

"Making cereal, do you want some?" Cassie asked.

"No, I'm fine, thanks." Thea shook her head with confusion, "You gotta tell him, Cass."

"No, I don't." Cassie said, "Dad's main focus right now is mom, and it should be. Maybe once she gets home and… things have calmed down I'll let him know-"

"You don't even know anything about this guy." Thea shook her head.

"I know that he's been alone pretty much his entire life-"

"Correction, he's been in prison." Thea said.

"Which we know doesn't necessarily mean you're a bad person, right?" Cassie said.

"No, it means you definitely made a bad choice, though." Thea said, "This guy could be crazy. I mean… anyone to get with Sam has to be crazy, right?"

"He's not crazy." Cassie scoffed, "He seems sweet. And he seems lonely too. And here we are with this gigantic family. It seems unfair-"

"He chose to leave. I find it hard to believe dad and Dean will be able to see past that." Thea said.

"Well then that's up to them. I came across his files and I just… I was curious. I thought that maybe dad and Dean had some questions. Maybe this would give them peace of mind or something I don't know." Cassie said.

"But they don't know any different." Thea said, "It was different for us, we… we knew what it was like to have a dad-"

"I didn't." Cassie reminded her as Thea looked across at her, "You did. You and Jude both had the before with dad. I just got the after. I don't know which one is worse but… I remember wondering why I didn't know my dad. I may have been young but I still remember being confused as to… why my friends had mom's and dad's and I just had a mom. And then I remember a guy telling me that… that dad had died so then I thought our dad was dead." She said, "I had all these questions in my head, and I know dad probably feels the same about his own dad too-"

"Cassie, I know but-"

"Look, I'm the last person to start drama and bring unnecessary chaos. That's normally your lane-"

"Hey." Thea said, offended, "I mean… true." She figured.

"But I just don't think it's too late for dad and Dean to get their answers." Cassie shrugged as Thea sighed to herself.

"Alright." Thea shrugged, "I mean… I'm not gonna stop it or anything, just don't get your hopes up on dad being overjoyed about this. In fact, he might not want anything to do with it-"

"Then fine." Cassie shrugged, "But in my opinion, it's worth a shot." She said as Thea just nodded.

"Well I hope you're right." Thea nodded, "And… yes, we should be celebrating that mom is awake." She agreed, lifting her bottle of water up as Cassie lifted her bowl of cereal, "To mom." Thea nodded, hitting her bottle of water off Cassie's bowl as Cassie smiled.

"Yeah, to mom." Cassie smiled.

* * *

Later on, Punk had stayed with AJ up until she fell asleep. He couldn't get enough of talking to her but he knew she was tired. He was also glad that she had talked to her doctor and explained the pains she was still having in her head. The doctor assured her that was perfectly normal and decided to up the strength of her pain relief medicine.

Punk tidied the hospital room up, tucking the bed sheets over her and leaning into kiss her goodnight. He was incredibly grateful today. He oddly felt like himself again. It was almost like he'd lost part of himself whilst he waited on his wife waking up.

He left the hospital room, closing the door over as he put his jacket on.

"Mister Brooks." Paul got his attention, walking over to him.

"Yeah?" Punk nodded.

"I just wanted to discuss the rest of the tests and scans we did with your wife earlier on this morning." He said, "Everything is looking good." He nodded positively.

"Yeah, she was a lot brighter as the day went on." Punk noticed.

"She's still coming around from the coma. It's perfectly normal for her to take a little bit of time to feel awake, so to speak." He said, "There's still some swelling on her brain, not nearly half as much as what it was when she first got here but… I'd like for that to disappear before we discharge her."

"Yeah, I figured she might be in here for a couple more days at least." Punk nodded.

"Any damaged vessels or tissue in her brain seems to be healing which… is great, she's on the mend which I'm sure is a relief for you." Paul said.

"Yeah, you have no idea." Punk shook his head, "Thank you, I mean for… for all that you've done." He said sincerely.

"Just doing my job." Paul said as Punk nodded, watching him walk away.

Punk headed off in the opposite direction, heading for the exit of the hospital. Tonight his shoulders didn't feel so heavy. He knew his wife still needed help and cared for but just to get past this hurdle was a relief in itself.

He walked out of the automatic doors, putting his hood up as he noticed it was raining, about to head to his car when he heard someone calling on him.

"Phil?" Daniel questioned as Punk turned around, looking across at him.

"Do I… know you from somewhere?" Punk asked, he felt like he'd saw this man before. He had bumped into him at the police station not so long ago, not that he had any idea who he really was back then.

"You're Phil Brooks?" Daniel nodded to confirm. He knew it was him. He just had to hear it confirmed.

"Yeah. Who the hell is asking?" Punk asked defensively, walking towards the man.

"I'm… I'm Daniel." Daniel said, "Daniel Brooks." He nodded as Punk looked across at him, "Your dad."


	45. Whatever

**Whatever**

* * *

"Yeah, whatever man." Punk laughed a little, figuring he'd bumped into a crazy man harassing people outside the hospital. It wasn't hard to believe with the things and people he'd encountered in Chicago.

"No, really." Daniel took a hold of Punk's arm.

"Ok, don't touch me." Punk nodded seriously as Daniel put his hands up and stepped back a little, "Are you… lost or something? Do you need help?" He wondered.

"No… No, I'm fine." Daniel demanded, "I'm serious. I'm… I'm your father." Daniel said as Punk looked across at him.

"My father?" Punk questioned, "The guy who walked out on me when I was a baby? The guy who shouldn't and wouldn't know anything about me?"

"I'm that guy." Daniel nodded as Punk shook his head, not believing it.

"I'm not in the mood for this, buddy." Punk shook his head, trying to walk away.

"Cassie knows about me." Daniel said as Punk stopped in his tracks, "She… She was the one who came to me. Introduced herself to me." He explained as Punk stood still. There was no way this could possibly be his father.

"Say my daughter's name again and I'll punch you in the mouth." Punk turned around to him.

"Ask her yourself. She came to me. She'll tell you." Daniel nodded, "I'm… I'm sorry about your wife-"

"Who the fuck are you?" Punk shook his head, becoming alarmed as he heard this man talking as if he really knew him. Not once would he believe this was his actual father.

"I'm your dad." Daniel said, "I've spoken with Cassie a lot, well… not a lot, but enough to know that you're not in need of a father anymore. Maybe you never were." He said, "But she also told me how big a family you have and… how great you are. You and Dean." He said, "I've been debating with myself about it for weeks. Should I…. Should I not-"

"Are you on fucking drugs? Is that it?" Punk asked.

"No." Daniel scoffed, "No, I… I really am your dad." He nodded as Punk looked at him with confusion.

As someone who didn't grow up with a dad, who never knew what it felt like to have a dad, this didn't give him goose bumps the way some people may have thought. To him, this was still just a stranger.

"You're my dad?" Punk questioned.

"Yes." Daniel said, "And I… trust me, I know it's too late now to even begin to apologise. It's way too late but… Cassie seems to think you might want some answers from me and… and well I've been blocking out that part of my life for a long time but… I think I'm ready to talk about it now." He admitted as Punk looked at him, beginning to laugh which progressively got louder, "Did I… make a joke?" Daniel wondered, watching as Punk laughed to himself, "Cassie did tell me you were… a little bit of a nutter." Daniel said nervously as he watched Punk.

"It's just… it's just funny that you think I care." Punk laughed, "I mean… that could be my dad." He pointed over to a man getting out of his car in the car park, "Or that could be my dad." He pointed to a man coming out of the hospital, "Or that guy over there by the trash." He pointed to a doctor who had come out of a side door, "It doesn't mean shit to me. Dad is not a concept in my life. Never has been and it…" He laughed to himself, "Certainly won't be now." He said.

"Just to clarify…" Daniel said, "All those guys aren't your dad. I am." He nodded.

"Whatever, man." Punk chuckled, turning around and walking away to his car as Daniel shook his head with confusion.

Of all the ways he expected this to go, this was not one of them.

Punk got to his car, still laughing to himself as he got in behind the wheel, starting up the engine and pausing for a second as he placed his hands on the steering wheel, his laugh fading to silence as he sat for a couple of minutes in shock.

* * *

"When do you guys move in?" Cassie asked, sitting at the kitchen table with Dominic and Thea as they showed her pictures of their new house they were moving to, back in Chicago.

"Supposed to be next week but I don't know how we're gonna manage to get everything moved from Milwaukee back to Chicago." Thea shook her head stressfully.

"We'll manage." Dominic assured her, "Hey, Cass how about your job? You heard anything back from the station?"

"Just that my case was still being reviewed." Cassie shrugged, "Kinda scared they're just gonna tell me to pack it in and move on. Go be a… florist or something."

"That's not gonna happen." Thea scoffed, "They're just taking it seriously, that's all. You'll be back in no time."

"I hope so." Cassie nodded, "Although, I kinda wanna be around to help dad with mom. I know Jude is obviously busy with Sean, and you guys are trying to move back here-"

"Hey we'll all make sure we're here for mom." Thea assured her, "Houses and jobs and… kids, we can handle it all at the same time." She nodded.

"Yeah, this is why you smoke." Cassie said as Thea just made a face at her. In a way, it was nice to be back on a good page with her little sister after the hiccup they'd had. Nothing felt right when she had a fight with one of her sisters, so she was grateful they were back on the same page. The world just felt easier.

"You guys got James back in his old school again?" Cassie asked them.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "Although I'm just worried that we're moving him around so much and… it affects him. He didn't really make a lot of friends in Milwaukee. And Sofia was a nightmare. She wouldn't go to playgroup." She said.

"They're still really young." Cassie said, "Sofia's only three. Just three. And James will be fine. He's such a bright kid."

"He is, it's crazy." Thea nodded, "He always corrects me when I speak sometimes."

"That's because you and your sisters have a made up language of your own." Dominic shook his head, "Like calling the TV remote the bleeper. What's that about it?" He looked at them both.

"Mom calls it that." Thea shook her head, hearing their dad come in through the door, "Hey." Thea called, eating some of the popcorn from the bowl in the middle of the table, "Dad, you wanna see pictures of the new house?" Thea asked, "Dominic settled everything today." She said as Punk appeared in the kitchen.

"Just spoke to my dad." Punk said casually as Cassie turned to him whilst Dominic looked at Thea.

"What?" Cassie shook her head.

"Yeah, just… spoke to this guy who says he's my dad." Punk laughed a little, opening the fridge up and grabbing out a bottle of water as Thea looked at Cassie with concern.

"Can you… elaborate?" Thea asked.

"Well apparently Cassie has been talking to him." Punk nodded, looking at Cassie, "It's just funny to me." He shrugged.

"Why… is it funny?" Thea asked with confusion, looking at Cassie.

"Dad, I swear I was just trying to do something good, I thought maybe you'd want some answers and-"

"He just was like… I'm your dad." Punk laughed a little as Thea shook her head with confusion. She'd never seen her father act this way. To many he was very hard faced and blunt, especially when it came to serious situations. To see him nervous laughing was… strange.

"Dad, are you ok?" Thea asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Punk shrugged, "Yeah, whatever." He said.

"Well… what did he say?" Cassie asked.

"Um… I can't really remember, something about being able to talk about this now and… yeah, something like that." Punk said calmly as Cassie nodded slowly, "What are you guys doing?" He asked, reaching over and grabbing some popcorn as Thea looked at him with shock.

"Well… what did you say to him?" Thea shook her head, "Stop acting like a crazy person." She demanded.

"I didn't say anything. It was just… some guy." Punk laughed.

"Yeah, some guy… your dad." Cassie looked at him with confusion, "You don't have anything to say about this?"

"I mean… no, whatever it's just… it's some guy, my dad, right?" Punk shrugged, "Maybe it wasn't even him." He paused as Thea turned to Dominic with concern.

"Dude, are you ok?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "Yeah, good news about your mom. They did more tests and scans and things are looking well. She ate some jello tonight." He added, "She talked a lot more." He said as Cassie and Thea nodded.

"That's good." Thea nodded gladly.

"Yeah." Cassie nodded.

"Well I'm gonna go to bed." He announced.

"Wait, dad…" Cassie stood up as Punk turned around at the door, "Don't you wanna talk about this?"

"About what?" Punk asked them.

"About you seeing your dad, you crazy man!" Thea shook her head.

"No, well… there's nothing to talk about." Punk shrugged, "Goodnight." He smiled to them, walking away as Cassie stood with confusion, slowly turning around and looking at Thea and Dominic.

"What just happened?" Cassie shook her head with confusion, sitting back down at the table.

"I know a cocaine laugh when I hear it." Thea scoffed.

"Thea." Dominic tutted.

"What?" Thea said, "The man has lost his mind. The clean hospital air has gotten to his head." She shook her head.

"I thought he'd be mad with me and… he'd have stuff to say about this." Cassie said.

"He's clearly in shock." Dominic pointed out, "He doesn't know what to say. He's never me this dad and it's… it's kinda late in life to be meeting your dad now." He said, "Plus, he's been exhausted and… everything with your mom… it's a lot."

"Or he's finally just… lost his mind. Like for real." Thea nodded.

"Stop it." Dominic warned her.

"I wonder what he actually said." Cassie said.

"Sounds to me like there was a lot of whatevers and… laughing." Thea said, "I don't think I've ever seen him like that."

"Yeah, me neither." Cassie agreed, "That was… uncomfortable." She nodded.

"Let him sleep on it. Maybe we'll get a better conversation with him in the morning." Thea said.


	46. Parents

**Parents**

* * *

"Morning, children." Punk walked into the kitchen bright and early the next morning.

"Good morning!" Sofia shouted happily, sitting with her brother having breakfast.

"Morning." Thea said, looking on at Punk as he poured himself some coffee.

"You make this?" Punk asked her.

"Mhm." Thea said.

"Well thank you." Punk nodded as Thea looked at him.

"You're welcome." Thea nodded, looking at Cassie who sat at the table with the kids, eating some toast.

"You girls coming with me to see mom?" Punk asked, "I told her you were bringing her a bag with some clothes and stuff in it." He nodded to Thea.

"Yeah, Dominic is just in the shower so once he's out we can head. I don't wanna leave them on their own down here." She nodded to Sofia and James.

"Ok." Punk nodded as Thea looked at him. She was weirded out by how overly fine he was acting.

"How'd you sleep?" Cassie asked.

"I slept fine." Punk said, "Although I did hear someone going back and forth to the bathroom." He looked over at the kids.

"It was her." James pointed to Sofia.

"I was just checking if there were any water monsters in the toilet." Sofia said as Punk laughed quietly, turning to Thea who just shrugged.

"And were there?" Punk asked.

"No. But I had to be sure." Sofia nodded.

"She… does it all the time." Thea said quietly to her dad who just nodded, "Jude sent me a picture this morning at like 5am. She was up feeding Mirren." Thea smiled, "The caption was these baby things don't really sleep do they?" She chuckled as Punk smiled.

"I'm gonna visit her on my way home from." Punk nodded as Cassie looked at him.

"Are you gonna… acknowledge last night?" Cassie asked him.

"What is there to acknowledge?" Punk shrugged.

"Your dad." Cassie said, "Meeting him for the first time in your life. What you're gonna do?" Cassie shook her head.

"I'm not gonna do anything." Punk said, "I don't need a dad. I never did and I… I really don't need one now. I mean why… why would he even approach me now? After all this time?" He shook his head. He was finding it hard to understand. It had almost upset him that his father had chosen now to appear. After he'd made all mistakes and taken all the wrong paths. He was also still in shock that he'd actually met his father now. It was all very strange to him and he was finding it hard to act normal.

"Don't you wanna hear what he has to say?" Cassie asked him. She expected her dad to be mad at her, and to be curious. But he was the opposite. He seemed ridiculously calm and unbothered by all of it.

"I think you're in shock." Thea added.

"I'm not." Punk insisted, "I just don't care."

"Yes you do." Cassie said, "You came home last night acting completely different. It was scary." She rolled her eyes, "I figured that… it wasn't too late for you to reconnect with your dad-"

"Reconnect?" Punk asked, "I was never connected to him in the first place, Cassie. He's just a stranger to me, and he's gonna stay that way."

"You were a stranger to me once." Cassie said as Punk looked at her.

"Yeah, and you were also eight years old." Punk reminded her, "I'm in my fifties here. I grew up. The time for having a dad is… is long gone." He said.

"Don't you have questions for him?" Cassie shook her head, "He's a nice guy, you know. I've met him a couple times. He seems lonely. He is lonely." She said.

"I don't want to know anything from him or about him." Punk said, "You girls do what you want." He said, "Just keep me out of it."

"But it's your dad." Cassie shook her head with confusion, "And he wants to talk to you-"

"It's not about him." Punk said, "I want nothing to do with him. You shouldn't have just… brought this on top of me. Not something like this." He shook his head.

"I thought you'd wanna know why he left-"

"I don't wanna know anything." Punk made clear.

"Maybe Uncle Dean does." Cassie pointed out.

"Then Dean can go talk to him." Punk shrugged, "I want kept out of it." He said as Cassie sighed, turning to Thea who just shook her head, internally advising her sister to leave it for just now.

"I was just trying to do something good." Cassie said, "In all fairness, I didn't know he was gonna find you last night. He said he was gonna wait." She said, "But still… don't you wanna hear what he has to say? This is your dad-"

"No, I don't." Punk said, "I'll be waiting in the car for you both." He told them, sitting his half-finished coffee down, "Bye, children." He kissed James and Sofia's head on his way out as Cassie sighed to herself and turned to Thea.

"Let it sink in for him." Thea nodded, "It must be hard." She said.

"I just want him to know my intentions were good. I'm not saying that they should get on like a house on fire. I just think dad and Dean might get some answers. I couldn't imagine thinking that my dad had walked out on me. Maybe this is their time to get the truth." Cassie said.

"But Cass, maybe they don't want it. Maybe they've made with peace with moving on." Thea said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said, "You just go on with him, I'll swing by the hospital later." She said.

"You sure?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, I'll stay here with Dominic and the kids." Cassie said.

"Ok." Thea nodded, rubbing her shoulder and putting her jacket on, "Just let it sink in for him." She said as Cassie nodded, "I'll see you later." She said.

"Mommy, where are you going?" James asked.

"I'm going to see A but you guys are gonna stay here with daddy and aunt Cassie. I'll see you both later." She said, giving them kisses and hugs, "Be good, please." She said before leaving the kitchen, grabbing the bag she'd packed for her mom and leaving the house.

* * *

"You know Cass has a big heart, I understand why she wanted to contact your dad." Thea said, sitting at some traffic lights on their way to the hospital.

"Look, I don't… I don't even wanna talk about it." Punk said truthfully, "My focus is on your mom."

"I know that." Thea assured him, "Aren't you just a little curious?" She asked him, "I bet you were curious as to what Cassie was like when you got out of prison." She said, "Right?"

"You know I wish you'd all stop comparing it to that. I didn't choose to leave." Punk made clear, "And I wasn't gone for… that long, not compared to my own dad. I mean it's not even like he's been gone. He just doesn't exist in my world." He shook his head, "He could be the nicest guy in the world but he was still the bastard who left."

"Did Sam ever tell you why?" Thea asked him.

"No, and I don't care." Punk said.

"You were in prison with him at the same time." Thea told him as Punk turned his head and looked at her.

"What?" Punk shook his head, suddenly hearing a horn being beeped behind him as he didn't realise the lights had gone green, putting his foot down and driving along the road, "What the hell you talking about?"

"I thought you didn't want to know." Thea said as Punk turned into the hospital.

"Well you can't say something like that and not expect me to ask about it." He shook his head, parking in a space and turning to her, "Why was he in prison?"

"Hit and run." Thea said as Punk looked at her with confusion, "Cassie didn't go looking for him. He popped up when she was looking on the computer at the station. Joys of having a cop in the family now." She said.

"A hit and run?" Punk shook his head.

"Yeah." Thea said, "Eighteen year old girl. She was killed." She said, "And he went to Cook County so… you were in there with him at the same time."

"I don't… I don't remember seeing him in there." Punk shook his head, "So how long was he in prison for?"

"Well he got life so… I'm assuming thirty. Most of his life anyway." Thea nodded, "Cassie saw his name and got curious so she tracked him down and she's met him a couple times. She thinks it's unfair that he's all alone and we have this big family not too far away."

"It's not really her choice, though. Is it?" Punk said, "I swear, you girls make up your own rules as you go along." He said.

"Her heart is in the right place. She thinks you might have questions for him, and maybe she's right." Thea said, "Don't you wanna know what happened?"

"What's there to know, Thea? He walked. Tons of guys do it. He just left." Punk said, "That's all there is to know and I've always known that. Now I just got a… face to think about now." He shook his head, getting out of the car as Thea sighed to herself.

"I just think you're scared." Thea got out of the car, taking the bag she'd packed for her mother out.

"Scared of what?" Punk laughed, lifting out the donuts he'd brought for his wife.

"Scared of what he has to say. Scared of… of letting him know you." Thea said, walking with him through the hospital car park.

"He doesn't deserve to know me." Punk said, "It's really too late for that."

"But when you saw him didn't you feel something?" Thea asked, "This is your dad. You have the chance to know him. Wouldn't you even consider talking to him? You don't have to get along but… just to let him say what he has to say?" She said.

"No." Punk shook his head, walking into the hospital as she followed.

"Dad, come on." Thea said, "Aren't you curious as to why he now wants to come and meet you?"

"No, I know why… because Cassie called him out for it." Punk said, "Look, he walked out on me and Dean, we really needed a dad, we… we needed someone at least to take care of us and he just fucked off somewhere-"

"Prison." Thea nodded.

"I don't care." Punk said, getting the elevator up to AJ's floor, "He still felt. That was a choice. So he's gotta live with that now."

"I'm gonna tell mom." Thea said childishly, "She'll convince you-"

"Don't. She… She has enough going on. Leave her out of it." Punk warned, stepping out of the elevator and walking down the corridor.

"I just think you're dismissing it too quickly, I mean what if-"

"Shit." Punk said, quickly hiding behind the vending machine, stopping in his tracks and grabbing Thea behind with him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Thea scoffed, "I almost rolled my ankle." She said, watching as he peeped around the vending machine.

"Why the fuck are they here?" Punk whispered to himself.

"Who?" Thea tried looking around the vending machine.

"Don't look." Punk panicked, pushing her further in.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing? Who are we hiding from?" Thea shook her head as Punk looked around the vending machine, sighing to himself and rolling his head back against it.

"Can't I just breathe for one second?" Punk whispered to himself, closing his eyes over and taking a deep breath.

"Who is that?" Thea asked, looking at the older man and woman standing outside her mother's hospital room.

"That… is your mom's parents." Punk nodded, "Who I've not saw since the night I was arrested." He said as Thea looked around the vending machine.

"I barely remember them." Thea looked on.

"What is with the fucking parents coming for me this week?" Punk groaned to himself, "I don't have the energy for this." He shook his head.

"Yes you do." Thea shoved him, "Come on, let's go." She said, walking out from behind the vending machine as Punk groaned to himself and followed.


	47. Early Grave

**Early Grave**

* * *

"Phillip." Janet noticed Punk walking down the corridor, "Long time no see." She said.

"It's close family only." Punk said, walking towards them with Thea who couldn't hide how she felt on her face. She knew these people were bad. People who had dumped debt and despair onto her parents. The same debt that got her father wound up in prison. They were not her family, and they never would be.

"We're April's parents." Robert said.

"You haven't saw April and I in twenty one years." Punk screwed his face up, "When you fucked off and left me to rot in a prison cell, after dumping us with your debts." He whispered angrily.

"Twenty one years, you'd think you'd be over it by now." Janet scoffed.

"You aren't welcome here." Thea said.

"And who are you?" Robert questioned.

"Thea." Thea said, "The oldest."

"Oh, I see." Janet nodded slowly, "You do look like a… a prettier version of April." She smiled as Thea shook her head.

"Get out of here." Punk warned, "April sure as hell doesn't want to see you."

"We've already been to see her." Janet said, "We were just leaving."

"Because she kicked you out?" Punk assumed.

"No, we've been here for over an hour." Robert said as Thea turned to Punk, "Is it so hard to believe that our little girl wanted to see us whilst she's in hospital?"

"Yeah, it is actually." Punk said, "You have never, ever cared about her. Ever." He said, "Not even when you guys lived here. She told me about things you used to do. Things you used to say." He nodded, looking specifically at AJ's mother, "You are no mother and father to her." He made clear.

"Who even contacted you?" Thea wondered.

"We heard from some friends who still live here. They called us and told us she was in a coma so we… got the first flight over." Robert said.

"Why? Because you wanted to be there for her or because you figured you'd be coming to a funeral?" Punk asked as they both looked at him without saying anything, "Yeah… thought so." Punk nodded, "Just piss off." He shook his head, walking past them both and into AJ's room.

He really had no energy for this. He didn't want to waste his anger or any sort of emotion on two people who weren't worth it in the slightest.

Thea stood on her own, looking across at her grandparents who she'd only met once, on the night her father was arrested, which was hazy in her brain.

"You're a beautiful young girl." Janet nodded to her as Thea looked across, slowly walking by them both, heading into her mother's room and closing the door over behind her.

"They're so weird." Thea shook her head.

"Shh." Punk said as Thea turned around, noticing her mother was asleep.

"Oh." Thea noticed quietly, sitting down the bag she had packed at the bottom of the bed, "Dad, why the hell are they here?" Thea asked him quietly.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head quietly, "But they better stay the fuck away." He said.

"You two have the loudest quiet voices ever." AJ said, her eyes still closed as she lay up in bed.

"I thought you were sleeping." Punk smiled, looking on at her as she opened her eyes.

"I was just resting my eyes." AJ said as Punk leaned in and kissed her, "Hi." AJ cupped his cheek.

"How you feeling?" Punk asked her.

"Like my head weighs thirty stone." She nodded.

"Hi, mom." Thea smiled, leaning over and hugging her mother softly.

"Hi, baby." AJ smiled, stroking the back of her daughter's dark hair, "I hear you bumped into my parents." She said.

"Yeah, what-what are they doing here?" Punk shook his head.

"Apparently to see me." AJ said, "Trust me, I thought I was having hallucination side effects when I saw them walk in the door." She said.

"Why would they come now?" Thea asked, "They haven't spoken to you guys in years."

"They probably thought I was about to die." AJ said, "If you feel like there's no air in this room it's because they stayed in here for over an hour, sucking it all out." She said unhappily as Punk sighed, sitting down by her bed.

"Why didn't you tell them to leave?" Punk shook his head.

"I did." AJ said, "I would have threw them out myself but… I wasn't feeling up to it." She said tiredly as Punk smiled a little, "You didn't cause a scene out there, did you?" She asked him.

"Me? I don't cause scenes." Punk exaggerated as AJ smiled.

"What'd they say to you?" Thea asked curiously.

"That they'd missed me. And that they were sorry for not being there over the years." AJ shrugged, "Honestly I… I didn't have the attention span to listen to much they were saying." She said sleepily.

She didn't have the mental capacity to even be bothered by her parents surprise showing. They weren't people she held close to her heart. In fact, she hated them, for everything they had done to her and put her through over the years. Their visit meant nothing to her.

"Why would they randomly show up like this, though?" Thea shook her head, "What is with everyone?" She whispered to herself.

"See what happens when everyone thinks I'm about to kick the can?" AJ smiled tiredly, "They all get excited." She whispered as Punk watched her.

"That's not true." Punk said. He couldn't' help notice she seemed sleepier, more drugged out than yesterday, which was perhaps why she hadn't really registered her parents being here very well.

"It is true." AJ said, "I bet they just flew out here to attend my funeral." She nodded, "In fact, I'd go as far as saying they probably brought outfits for it." She said as Thea looked over at her father, "Well jokes on them. Bastards." She mumbled.

"Ape, have they upped your drugs, babe?" Punk asked, trying to look around the room for AJ's medicine intake.

"I'm not sure." AJ said sleepily, "Where are my other girls?" She asked.

"Cassie is gonna stop by later and Jude is… busy figuring out baby stuff." Thea smiled, "She's doing real good."

"I knew she'd be fine." AJ nodded, "She's the most responsible out of the three of you." She said as Thea laughed a little.

"I thought Cassie was." Thea said.

"No, she's… she's sneaky." AJ said.

"Yeah well… I'd have to agree." Punk nodded, looking over at Thea who scoffed, "Babe, why don't you shut your eyes over? Get some sleep." He said, holding AJ's hand in his.

"Maybe." AJ said quietly, closing her eyes over, falling asleep almost instantly.

"I want whatever she's having." Thea said as Punk shook his head with confusion.

"Why is she so out of it?" Punk wondered, "I'm gonna go talk to her doctor." He said, getting up and leaving the hospital room, walking down the corridor to find her doctor, "Hey, Paul." He finally found him.

"Hello." Paul nodded.

"Hey, why is April so out of it? Is she on stronger drugs?" Punk asked.

"She is, yeah." Paul said, "She had a bit of a rough night. Terrible pain in her head so we upped her morphine. It's totally normal for her to be sleepy." He said, "We'll slowly decrease the dose of medication she's getting, just to see how the pain in her head progresses."

"Why didn't anyone call last night? If she had a bad night?" Punk asked.

"It was nothing to be worried about. It's normal for her to feel pain. Think of it as her head being extremely bruised and tender right now." Paul said, "We got it under control and she's been resting good." He said as Punk nodded slowly.

"Ok." Punk said, "Hey, can you do me a favour?" He asked.

"Sure. What?" Paul asked.

"That man and woman who were in visiting April just there, can you make sure they don't come back. Don't let them in to see her." Punk nodded.

"If you say so." Paul nodded, "Excuse me, I have a patient to see." He said as Punk nodded, watching him walk down the corridor.

Punk returned back to AJ's room where Thea was unpacking the bag she'd packed for her mother. Leaving some pyjamas piled over on the chair.

"She wanted a hairbrush, right?" Thea asked her father, sitting a hairbrush by her mother's bed on the night stand.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"Ok, that should be everything." Thea nodded, "If she needs anything else she can let me know." She said, sitting the empty bag under the chair, "Hey, did Paul say anything about upping her meds?" She asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Yeah, they upped the dosage. She had a rough night last night." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"That's normal, dad. She might be like this for a little while." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Punk understood, "Why the hell would they come here?" He asked himself as Thea looked over.

"Maybe they were just concerned." Thea said as Punk shook his head.

"No, trust me… wherever they go, trouble follows after." Punk said, "It literally makes me anxious that they're here." He shook his head.

"Isn't that just because of everything that happened?" Thea asked.

"Maybe." Punk nodded, "Nothing they do is genuine." He said.

"Why didn't mom ever get along with them?" Thea asked him as he sat down by the bed.

"There's a lot there." Punk nodded, "It'd be better coming from your mom." He said as Thea nodded.

"I'm gonna go get a coffee. You want one?" Thea asked him, taking her cigarettes out of her purse as Punk scoffed.

"Does a coffee come hand in hand with a cigarette for you?" Punk questioned.

"Yes, problem?" Thea asked calmly, "You want one of these?" She asked him.

"I'm good." Punk assured her, "I thought you quit."

"I did. Then my pregnant sister almost got shot and my mom was in a coma." Thea said, "You want a coffee or not?" She asked.

"Yeah, go on." Punk nodded.

"Ok, I'll be back soon." She said, leaving the hospital room as Punk sighed to himself.

There was a lot going on in his head. A lot to think about and consider. All he wanted to do was be there for his wife. That was all he really cared about.

"Phil." AJ whispered, opening her eyes back up and turning to him.

"Hey… you ok?" Punk smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Why'd my parents not care about me?" She asked him drowsily as Punk looked across at her, "Did I do something wrong? As a kid?" She wondered.

"No… no, of course you didn't." Punk shook his head, "No, you're just… unlucky, I guess." He nodded, "We both were." He said.

"I wish I had nice parents sometimes." AJ admitted, looking away from him. Even at her age, in her weak state, she still longed to be cared about by a parent. The strong medication she was on was making it easier to express that aloud.

"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded.

"My mom used to tell me that no one would love me." AJ said as he nodded.

He knew all about the psychological abuse she suffered as a child. It wasn't something she talked about much, but something she'd definitely told him about. He wasn't aware her parents were so manipulative, not until they grew out of their teens and into adulthood.

"Well how wrong was she, huh?" Punk smiled, stroking her cheek softly, "You got a whole family who love you. Our own family." He nodded.

"I do." AJ nodded, "I just… I couldn't imagine saying the things my mom said to me as a kid to our girls. I don't understand it." She sighed.

"Some people just shouldn't be parents." Punk nodded, "I don't want you to worry about them."

"I'm not." AJ assured him with a small smile which made him smile too, watching her as she drifted back in and out of sleep.


	48. Try Again

**Try Again**

* * *

"Hey, wait." Thea said, running out of the hospital where she saw her mother's parents walking out of, "Wait." She said, watching as they both turned around.

"What is it, sweetie?" Janet shook her head.

"Why did you come here?" Thea asked, "The last thing you did to my family was… break it apart-"

"No, your dad broke your family apart." Robert corrected.

"Because he was clearing up your mess that you left him and my mom with." Thea said, "He was doing fine. He was… he was doing good. He didn't live that life anymore and you brought it back to him." She said, "Why would you think any of us want to see you?"

"Well it's not really about you." Janet said, "It's about our daughter."

"Who hates you." Thea nodded, "I don't… I don't know details but I know you didn't look after her probably as a kid. Which is probably why she wound up on the streets." She said, "How can you even look at her without feeling guilty?"

"April chose to leave home. We didn't kick her out." Robert said, "She met your dad and left. She was the one who stopped seeing us." He said.

"Because you were bad people who did bad things." Thea nodded as Janet laughed a little.

"Do you know who your dad is?" Janet questioned as Thea glared at her, "Well… I'm assuming you knew who Rio was." She said, "Your dad wasn't far off from him-"

"You know nothing." Thea spat.

"I know that everyone around here viewed your dad in the same calibre as Rio." Janet said as Thea shook her head.

"No they didn't. My dad is a good person." Thea said, "Who got caught up with bad people."

"Yeah, that's what he tells you." Janet nodded, "I guarantee you if our April never met him, she would have avoided all that stress and heartbreak. She would have gone on to college, met a good man, settled down properly-"

"What would you have cared anyway?" Thea asked, "I know enough about you two to know you abandoned her. That you would leave her on her own when she was just a kid, for weeks on end." She said, "And then come back like nothing had happened."

"She was perfectly fine. We had things to take care of back then. We knew April would be fine. People checked in on her." Janet waved her hand.

"That's not the point. You raised her to think that no one cares about her and then someone did, so she left." Thea nodded, "Why would you think that in her weakest state right now that she'd wanna see the people who have just neglected her, her whole life?" Thea asked.

"You're a lot like her." Janet observed, "Big personality, big mouth." She smiled a little, "There is no agenda, we just came to see how she was. That's all."

"Well no one believes that." Thea nodded, "You aren't welcome back here." She made clear as Janet nodded, "I don't trust either of you."

"You don't know us, honey." Janet said.

"And I don't want to." Thea said, "Just stay the hell away from my mom and my family." She nodded.

"We're leaving." Robert assured her, guiding Janet away from Thea as they walked off.

* * *

"She's literally my favourite thing on earth." Jude smiled, sitting on the rocking chair in Mirren's nursery, holding the baby girl as she slept in her arms. It had been difficult. The night feeds, the crying, the settling down, but between them both they figured they weren't doing such a bad job.

"Yeah, she's ok." Sean teased as Jude smiled.

"Everyone says she looks like me but… I see her a lot like you too." Jude nodded, looking down at Mirren.

"That must mean you think she's cute." He teased as she smiled.

"Obviously." Jude nodded, "I do feel bad about not having gone to see my mom yet." She said.

"Hey, please don't worry about that. From what I hear she's doing real good. You've just had a baby. No one is expecting you to go to the hospital every day to see her. You need to look after yourself." He said.

"Yeah, I know." Jude said, "I was talking to Jude this morning, she said my dad's dad showed up last night." He said, "Just right in front of him."

"What? I thought your dad didn't know his dad?" Sean asked, leaning against the door frame as Jude stood up from the rocking chair.

"He doesn't." Jude said, walking over to the crib to put Mirren down, "But a few weeks back Cassie wound up stumbling across him at the station, on the system. She met with him a couple times." She nodded, looking over at Jude, "I guess he picked the wrong timing to make his move. Thea said my dad was acting crazy when he came home. Barely even acknowledging it."

"Well I mean… if you grow up not knowing who your dad is and he shows up fifty years later unannounced it's… it's probably a lot to take in." Sean nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Jude agreed, "I don't think he wants anything to do with him. He's a proud guy. Growing up without dad probably hurt him a lot more than he'd let onto." Jude said.

"Well yeah, I bet." Sean nodded.

"Cassie's heart was in the right place but… I don't know, maybe she should have just left this alone." Jude shook her head, "If my dad wanted to find his dad then he would have." She shrugged.

"Or he's probably just avoided it for most of his life." Sean nodded, "Maybe this is the push and shove he needs to face it."

"I know my dad. He doesn't like people pushing and shoving him." Jude nodded, "Plus, I know he just wants to focus on my mom right now." She said, "I'm not surprised that he's reacted like this." She shook her head.

"Maybe he'll sleep on it and change his mind." Sean said.

"Yeah, maybe." Jude said, "Ultimately it's his decision, though." She nodded, "And I think we gotta respect that.

"Yeah, of course." Sean nodded.

"I'm really annoyed I never got to finish painting this place." Jude sighed, looking over at the patch on the wall in the corner of the room which she hadn't gotten to finish due to Mirren arriving early.

"I think she'll forgive you." Sean smiled.

"I hope so." Jude smiled, looking on at Mirren lying in her crib asleep, "Isn't it amazing how… she's gonna grow into a little person. She's gonna grow up and become someone." She smiled, looking down at Mirren.

She was still overwhelmed as she transitioned into being a mom. It wasn't so much the night feeds and the diapers and the crying that was overwhelming her, it was the fact she now had this little person who depended on her.

"She's gonna be a badass." Sean nodded as Jude smiled.

"I thought a lot about… being a mom when I was pregnant. What it'd be like. I saw my mom do it and… sometimes it looked fun and then other times it seemed horrifying." She said, "Either way she always sort of… made it look easy and I got a feeling it's really not. Especially as she gets older." Jude said, "And I thought a lot about… when I'm gonna have to tell her about what happened to me."

"Jude, come on, that's… that's an awful long time away." Sean walked over to her.

"I know it is, but I still thought about it." Jude nodded, "Thought about making everyone swear they won't tell her, thought about telling her myself, thought about ignoring it altogether." She said.

"I think that's something you just gotta take as it comes. She's so teeny right now." Sean smiled.

"But I'm still living with it, Sean." Jude said as he turned to her, "And I don't wanna be the mom who… hides things." She shook her head, "I wanna have a good relationship with her and… tell her everything. The way me and my sisters are with my mom."

"You will." Sean nodded, "Babe, it's… it's day two, we have a lifetime with her, that's the best part." He smiled as Jude nodded.

"I just really thought that as I got older and I moved on with my life, what happened to me would start to fade away a little." Jude admitted, "But it hasn't. Not even a little bit. It's still there, all of it." She sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Then we'll keep doing what we have been. We'll talk about it, you can talk to your therapist again, we can take Mirren on a hike." He smiled as she looked up and smiled across at him, "No one can know what it feels like but you. I guess that's the hard part. I can be there for you as much as I can but… you know what you need, you know what helps you get through it because… I mean, you've already gotten through it. I saw it. We all did. Now it's about… maintaining it, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Jude nodded, "I just can't believe that it's been six years and I still… I still think about it almost every day. And it's like… I feel myself relapsing every now and then. I feel myself get distant, thinking about it more, wanting to hide away… and now I have a baby, I can't do that. And that scares me."

"You're not alone." Sean reminded her, "Anything that you go through, I'm there with you." He nodded, "Maybe… I don't know, maybe it'd help to talk to someone who has been through the same thing." He said.

"I'm not going to one of those group discussions." Jude shook her head.

"Maybe it'd help to hear that you're not… you're not alone. Other people might feel exactly like you do. And maybe that would kinda… comfort you in some way. Ways that I can't." He said. He understood there wasn't anything he could do to make it easier for her. That was the hard part, "It's like AA right, you all share something in common-"

"Having been raped?" Jude looked up at him, "Sounds like it'd be a lot of fun." She shook her head.

"It's… just a suggestion." Sean said, "Right now I think you just gotta rest and adjust to this little one being here. And I'll be there for whatever you need. We're a team, right?"

"Yeah, of course we are." Jude nodded, hugging into his arm, "I just don't want to let her down. This is kinda scarier than I thought it'd be." She admitted as Sean nodded. Now that Mirren was here, it was incredibly daunting, especially by the love they felt for her already.

"Of course it is." Sean kissed her head, "But we're gonna be fine. We've got her back." He said as Jude smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, we do." Jude smiled. She was terrified her struggles would reflect how good a mom she'd turn out to be.

* * *

"Oh, what's that you're popping?" Dean smiled, walking into his kitchen where he saw his wife popping a bottle of wine.

"Red, because I've had a long day at work." Renee said, "Want some?" She asked him, pouring herself some wine into a glass.

"No, I'm good." Dean smiled, coming up behind her and kissing her cheek as she smiled.

"How is April? Have you been to see her today?" Renee asked him.

"No, I'm kinda giving them space right now. Phil text and told me she had a bit of a rough night, also… her parents have showed up, which is never good for anyone." Dean shook his head.

"Her parents? What's wrong with her parents?" Renee asked.

"They're scum, to sum up." Dean nodded to her, "I mean… you know what they did to them, dumping all that shit on them that wound up getting Phil in prison." He said as Renee nodded, sipping on her wine.

"Yeah, it's not very parent like, is it?" Renee shook her head, "I was going to make some food to take over to Phil. I know what he's like, he'll be eating crap or he won't be eating at all." She said, "I got some things cooking away right now."

"You should have been a chef." Dean said as Renee smiled.

"Maybe when I retire." Renee smiled, "Sarah called, she's coming home for the weekend." She said, talking about their youngest daughter who stayed on campus at the college she was studying at.

"I love that part, and then she has to go away again and I hate it." Dean frowned as Renee smiled.

"I know you do but… I'm excited to see her." Renee said.

"Yeah, me too." Dean smiled, "So you're cooking all this stuff for Phil… what are we eating tonight? Scraps?" He smiled, walking over to her as she chuckled, feeling him wrap his arms around her waist, kissing her softly as she kissed back.

The only thing that broke them apart was a knock at the door.

"Chrissy coming to visit?" Dean asked.

"No, she had a meeting at work tonight." Renee said, "Go see who it is." She tapped his butt as he walked out of their kitchen and headed down the hallway.

He opened up the door, looking on at the unfamiliar face standing on the bottom step.

"Can I help you?" Dean shook his head.

"Are you Dean?" Daniel asked as Dean looked across at him.

"I am. Who's asking?" Dean asked.


	49. No Progress

**No Progress**

* * *

"You're Dean?" Daniel asked again.

"Yes." Dean said bluntly, "Who the hell are you?" He shook his head with confusion.

"I'm… I'm Daniel." Daniel nodded.

"And?" Dean waited, "What do you want?" He shook his head.

"Well I… I'm your dad." Daniel gulped nervously as Dean looked at him, pausing for a second and then smiling.

"Am I on a prank show?" Dean asked, stepping down the steps, "Where the cameras at?" He looked around the street as Daniel looked on with confusion.

"It's… not a prank show." Daniel shook his head, "I really am your dad." He nodded as Dean walked back up the steps, shaking his head.

"Nah, not possible. My dad walked out on me and my brother before I was even born. God knows where he is." Dean shook his head. It just didn't cross his mind that this was actually his father. It just didn't exist in his world.

"I'm here. I'm your dad, Dean." Daniel said, "I… I've spoken to Phil. Well, not really spoken to him, but I've confronted him. He wasn't interested in what I had to say." He said as Dean looked across at him with confusion.

"How do you know my brother?" Dean asked suspiciously, "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh my God, what is wrong with you boys? I'm your dad. I… I dated Sam in high school." He said, "Weeks ago I got a knock on my door, young girl was there, Cassie… your niece, she came across me at the police station and… well she reckoned you guys might want some answers from me and… and I don't know if I was ready for that but I am… I want to talk to you both." He said as Dean looked at him, his expression of amusement turning to one of horror.

"You… You're my dad? Legit?" Dean asked as Daniel nodded.

"Yeah." Daniel said, "And I'm sorry to just appear like this. I did the same to Phil and he… well he wasn't a fan of it. I just don't know how else to speak to you." He said as Dean looked across at him.

"Don't you think maybe you're fifty years too late?" Dean looked at him with confusion. He couldn't fathom why this man, his supposed father, thought now was finally the right time to come meet them.

"Well I… I've been in prison for most of my life." Daniel said.

"Dean? Baby, who is it?" Renee asked, walking down the hallway with her glass of wine, creeping up behind Dean, poking her head out from behind him as she looked at the man she didn't recognise or know.

"Uh…" Dean pointed, not really knowing what to say, "That's… my dad?" He said in a questioning tone as Renee looked up at Dean.

"Huh?" Renee shook her head.

"I'm Daniel." Daniel nodded, extending his hand out, "Nice to meet you."

"H-Hi." Renee said, hesitantly extending her hand and shaking it, "I uh… I'm… I'm Dean's wife. And you're… you're his dad?" She questioned, turning to Dean who wasn't saying much of anything.

"Yeah, I… I feel horrible just coming here and announcing that. I'd really like to sit down and explain myself-"

"Explain yourself?" Dean questioned, "You have fifty years of explaining to do." He shook his head, "Why now? This is just a slap in the face. It's too late. Phil and I don't need a dad. We did… We did when we were young. That's when you should have shown up announced. Not now." Dean shook his head with confusion. He really couldn't believe he was standing here, looking across at his father.

"Please, can I just come in and explain. Just give me the chance to talk to you. Phil… Phil just walked away from me." Daniel said, "You have every right to slam that door in my face, I know that but… please, I just want to talk to you. That's it." He nodded.

"Come in." Renee nodded.

"What?" Dean turned to her immediately.

"He just wants to talk. Let him talk." Renee nodded, budging Dean over and letting Daniel into the house, "Go through to the kitchen and I'll get you a drink." Renee told Daniel who nodded slowly, walking through to the kitchen.

"Are you crazy?" Dean asked her as she shut the door over.

"Don't pretend like you don't have questions." Renee looked up at him, "I know how you feel about not knowing who your dad is. You've talked to me about it before. Well… here he is. Now is your chance to ask him whatever you wanna ask-"

"Yeah, I maybe talked about it when I was blackout drunk and feeling… insecure. I'm very sober right now and I don't wanna talk to him." Dean said in a childish manner.

"Yes you do. I know you." Renee said.

"He's a stranger. This guy is a stranger." Dean reminded her.

"Don't you wanna know why he left?" Renee asked.

"He left because he was a deadbeat dad who didn't give a shit." Dean said.

"Yeah, according to Sam." Renee scoffed, "Who barely tells the truth about anything."

"Well why would she lie?" Dean asked, "I'm not talking to him." Dean folded his arms childishly.

"Oh, stop it." Renee said, "What about the ten year old inside of you? What would he think right now?"

"I don't know, Renee. I spent my childhood chained to oven doors sometimes, he'd probably be thinking he just wanted a normal life." Dean said as Renee sighed to herself, looking up at him, "I'm sorry I just… I don't know if I can do this." He ran his hands through his hair, "I don't know him, and I… I don't know if I want to know him."

"Just hear him out. I'll be with you. If it's too much, you can ask him to leave." Renee nodded. She knew her husband, she knew him better than anyone and she knew that deep down, he did have questions about his father and the absence of him.

"Ok. Ok fine." Dean nodded, "But I'm gonna kill Phil for not telling me about this. Old bastard is getting dementia." He shook his head unhappily.

"Or he's been occupied with everything going on with April, and Jude having Mirren… he's all over the place." Renee said, "Come on, just let him talk and ask whatever you want." She nodded, taking Dean's hand and pulling him through the hall into the kitchen.

She wouldn't have been so pushy if it wasn't for the fact she knew that deep down her husband was curious, and for his dad to show up like this, when it had been so long, out of the blue, it even made her curious.

"Can I get you a drink? You like wine?" Renee asked.

"I… I drink whiskey." Daniel said.

"Oh, well Dean has some in the living room-"

"You're not getting my whiskey." Dean shook his head childishly as Renee looked over at him.

"I… I'm ok." Daniel assured him.

"No, I will get you a drink." Renee shook her head, "Dean has his own private bar in the living room, excuse me." She nodded, walking out of the kitchen to go fetch him a drink whilst Dean stood in the kitchen in silence.

"You like a drink?" Daniel nodded to him as Dean turned to him.

"Every now and then, yeah." Dean said briefly as Daniel nodded, silence filling the kitchen until Renee walked back in.

"Here you go." Renee smiled, handing the glass to Daniel.

"Thank you." Daniel smiled, "Smells great in here."

"Oh, I'm making some stuff for Dean's brother." Renee nodded.

"Yeah, he knows who Phil is." Dean reminded Renee.

"Oh, yeah." Renee laughed, "Right." She shook her head. She wasn't sure if it was the one glass of wine she'd had or if she was just nervous for her husband.

"Thank you for… giving me the opportunity to talk to you." Daniel said.

"Yeah yeah just… say what you have to say." Dean nodded.

"Well… I did leave before you were born." Daniel said, "Like every kid in my position I was involved with the wrong people and… we were about to get evicted and we already Phil… it was a lot." He nodded.

"So you bailed." Dean nodded, "You're explaining something to me that I already know." He said.

"I did." Daniel nodded, "I did bail. I panicked and I walked." He said as Dean nodded to himself, "But I was coming back. I promise I was." He said.

"And you expect me to believe that?" Dean asked, "If this is what you came to explain to me then… I just… I'd rather you just leave." Dean shook his head.

"I got an apartment. I got a job. I was… I was getting clean and getting my act together. I was gonna take you boys in. I knew Sam wasn't… fit to look after you both." Daniel said, "The night I was coming to get you both, I wound up… knocking a girl over whilst I was driving." He shook his head, "She died." He explained as Renee looked over at Dean.

"And so you went to prison? The end." Dean nodded.

"I got out the car and I… I called 911. I stayed with her. I… It was an accident. She walked out from nowhere and I couldn't… I couldn't break in time." Daniel explained, "I haven't got into a car since that happened." He admitted truthfully, "Police came and I got taken in. Next thing I know they're arresting me for a hit and run."

"Why?" Renee questioned, "I mean why a hit and run? Clearly you didn't run." She said.

"The cop who dealt with it was new and he said that I tried fleeing the scene, which… was total bullshit. Cops back then could just get away with whatever they wanted. They made the rules. Plus the girl who I killed had a really rich family, figured they pulled some strings." Daniel shook his head, "So I got life in prison… turns out I was actually in prison the same time as Phil was." He said.

"Do you really expect me to believe that you were coming to get me and my brother? It's convenient that was the night you got put in prison." Dean said, "I think it's just an excuse."

"It's not. I was coming to get you. I told Sam I was coming. She'll tell you." Daniel said.

"You told her?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I called her and I told her that I was coming to get you both. That you and your brother weren't safe with her." Daniel said.

"And why would she never bring that up?" Dean asked.

"I don't know." Daniel shook his head, "I started telling myself that it was a sign. That I shouldn't have been coming back for you both. That you didn't need me-"

"Well we sure as hell needed someone." Dean said, "I don't believe you. I think you bounced when it got too hard, knocked some poor girl over and got thrown in prison for most of your life." He said.

"I did. I did do all of that, but in between I did want to be better for you both." Daniel said, "And I forget that myself sometimes because I… I don't know, maybe it's easier just to be the deadbeat dad now. After all this time has passed." Daniel nodded.

"Why now?" Dean asked.

"It's a part of my life I tried to avoid, I guess. Then Cassie came to my door. Couldn't believe I was seeing one of my grandkids. I always wondered about you boys and what you grew up to be, who you grew up to be." He nodded, "And Cassie told me that you both might have wanted answers from me. At first I shut it down and then I thought about it."

"We're your sons. You should… You should never have to think about it." Dean shook his head with confusion. It was only hurting him more to speak to him and he didn't like it, "This can never be fixed." He realised as Renee sighed to herself and stayed quiet.

"I just… I want you both to know how sorry I am. For not being there. For walking out in the first place-"

"Yeah, exactly. You walked out." Dean nodded, "I couldn't think of anything worse than walking out on my kids. The thought would just never cross my mind. I figure you have to be a special kind of scum to do that." He said as Daniel sighed to himself.

"I don't expect forgiveness. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry, and that I… I wish I could have gotten to you both that night." He nodded.

"Well you didn't." Dean said, "I uh… I think you should just go. This isn't going anywhere and I don't… I don't have anything to say to you." He said as Renee sighed.

"I'll go." Daniel nodded, "I'm so sorry. Really." He looked at Dean who just shook his head, looking down at the ground, "Thank you for letting me in." He added, nodding to Renee who nodded to him, watching him walk out of the kitchen and leave the house.

Dean ran his hands over his face stressfully as Renee walked over to him.

"Hey, are you ok?" Renee sighed.

"Yeah just… just give me a minute." Dean sighed to himself, keeping his tears at bay as he left the kitchen to be with himself. He didn't expect to feel so emotional, but he was. It was hard to process, maybe more so because he was so old and he had lived such a long life already.

He sat down on the bottom stair on the staircase, placing his hands in his hair and sighing to himself. He didn't really know what to feel.


	50. Overwhelmed

**Overwhelmed**

* * *

"April, have you lost your appetite?" A nurse walked into AJ's room, "Your husband seems to be eating all of your food." She noticed, looking on at Punk sitting by AJ's bed eating some jello.

"I'm not hungry." AJ shook her head, "I'm just… tired all the time." She sighed.

"Perfectly normal with the medication." The nurse nodded, replacing AJ's water with a fresh jug, "How is the head feeling?" She asked.

"It's ok. Still painful I guess." AJ nodded, "I just wanna go home now." She admitted as the nurse nodded.

"Soon enough." The nurse smiled, leaving the room as AJ turned to Punk who she had been giving all her hospital food to which he was strangely enjoying.

"How's that jello going down?" AJ asked him.

"The orange is definitely my favourite flavour." Punk nodded, looking over at her.

"I feel like an invalid in here." AJ shook her head as Punk sat the jello pot down, sitting up on the chair, "I want to be in my own home. I want to be in my own bed." She sighed.

"They're only keeping you here as precaution. You should technically be allowed to come home soon. Within the next few days." Punk nodded, "And then you get me as your nurse." He smiled as she nodded.

"Will you put on the cute outfit?" She asked him.

"If you want me to." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"I miss the girls. What-What are they all doing? How is Jude with the baby? Is Cassie back at work yet? Did Thea get a house?" AJ asked him, "Whenever they come in they just fuss over me."

"They just wanna look after you." Punk assured her, "Jude's doing good. She's settling down well with the baby. I'm going to visit her tonight. Cassie hasn't heard back about her job but… I mean, she should soon. And Thea and Dominic got a house, they need to be out of Milwaukee by next week." He said.

"Who's gonna help them pack?" AJ asked, "You should go help them."

"No, I'm gonna stay here with you. Cassie's gonna help them." Punk nodded.

"I don't want you bound to my hip, Phil." AJ rolled her eyes.

"Well tough because I will be." Punk said, "I don't want any of your stubbornness. It is my job to look after you." He said, "And I take that job very seriously." He nodded as she smiled.

"So you're like my bitch?" AJ smirked to him as he laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"I just feel like a big inconvenience to everyone." She admitted.

"You're not an inconvenience, April." Punk said, taking her hand in his, "We almost lost you. I… I thought I'd lost you." He admitted as she looked at him, "And I got a glimpse into what life would be like without you and it… it fucking sucks." He shook his head as AJ smiled, "I also got a glimpse into what you dealt with whilst I was gone. Having to keep the girls calm. Having to be strong for them. I don't know how you did it. I could barely be strong for myself." He shook his head.

"I guess I just got on with it." AJ nodded, "You would too if you have to."

"I don't know if I could." Punk shook his head, "I don't know if I could live my life without you. Even the house felt different. I felt different." He said, "You're not allowed to leave me, ok?" He warned sweetly as AJ smiled, "I mean it, when we're ninety and we're on the way out, I'm dying first." He made clear as AJ laughed to herself.

"Phil." AJ chuckled a little.

"What? I am. I… I don't want a life without you in it." He shook his head as she smiled.

"I'm lucky I have you." She nodded as he smiled, kissing her hand, "Why do you think my parents came?" She asked him.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head, "I just know it wasn't from the goodness in their hearts." He said.

"Well obviously not." AJ knew that, "You think they need money or something?" AJ asked him.

"They're not getting shit from us." Punk shook his head.

"I don't have the energy to be mad or curious about it." AJ admitted truthfully. She knew if she was in good health she would have been livid to see her parents just randomly appear, but she was too tired to let it consume her right now.

"I met my dad." Punk told her as AJ turned to him.

"What?" AJ questioned.

"My dad. I… I met him." Punk said, "The other night when I was leaving here he just… showed up, right in front of me."

"Your dad?" AJ questioned, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Punk said, "Apparently Cassie came across some files in the station and tracked him down. Put the idea in his head than me and Dean wanted some answers." He shook his head.

"And do you want some answers?" AJ asked him.

"No." Punk shook his head, "No, I don't think so." Punk said, "It's just some guy. It's never gonna feel like… that's my dad. It's been too long." He shook his head.

"What's he like?" AJ wondered, "Is he hot?" She thought to herself.

"April." Punk scoffed.

"What?" AJ laughed, "I just always imagined your dad looking like a… like a lumberjack or something." She nodded as Punk shook his head, "With like a big ass beard."

"Well he's got a beard." Punk nodded, "Don't think he's a lumberjack, though." He said, "Actually he's been in prison for most of his life."

"Really?" AJ said, "What for?"

"Hit and run apparently." Punk shook his head, "He was in the same time as me."

"Oh my God." AJ raised her eyebrows, "So you… you could have bumped into him and you didn't even know it was your dad?"

"Well you don't just bump into people in prison." Punk said, "I… I don't remember him so I must not have been in his wing." He said.

"Still… that's kinda weird." AJ said.

"I haven't gotten the chance to talk to Dean about it." Punk said, "I was hoping he'd be here. I left the house and then I got here and your parents were standing out there. Can't catch a break." He shook his head.

"Don't you wanna know why he left?" AJ asked.

"I don't think I do." Punk shook his head, "Sure maybe when I was younger but… so much time has passed. What the hell is the point?" Punk said.

"He's still your dad." AJ said, "And it's ok if you wanna talk to him." She nodded. She knew her husband, she knew certain things he tried to avoid.

"I keep thinking about… nine year old me." Punk nodded to her, "What he deserved."

"What'd he deserve?" AJ asked him.

"The truth. To not feel like… his dad just walked because he didn't want him." Punk nodded, "But then… what if that is why he walked? Now it's just gonna be confirmation from the source."

"Maybe it is but… maybe there's also stuff you don't know. It might help you understand better." AJ said, "Look, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. I'm not gonna force you. It's your decision." She said.

"I still don't know why Cassie thought I'd want this." Punk shook his head, "She is sneaky, you're right" He nodded to her.

"Her heart is good." AJ nodded, "Maybe she wanted to know about her grandfather too. What happened to him." She said, "It's never something we talk about with them. Our own parents."

"Yeah well Thea had it out earlier with your parents." Punk said, "She's just a big of fan of them as you are."

"That's my girl." AJ smiled tiredly.

"Your mom also called her a… prettier version of you." Punk said as AJ laughed a little.

"Of course she did." AJ smiled, amused. Her mother's words could no longer hurt her. Not anymore.

"Parents, huh?" Punk said, "Never thought we'd have those kinds of issues." He shook his head, itching his palms anxiously as AJ watched him.

"If you want to talk to your dad, you can." AJ said as he ran his hands through his hair, "It's your choice." She reminded him as he nodded.

* * *

Punk left the hospital later on that night, heading to Jude's house to visit her. He wished he could have split himself in half, to be there for his daughters and be there for his wife at the same time.

He knocked on the door lightly before walking on into the house, having brought some cupcakes which he knew Jude loved.

"Hey." Punk said quietly, "It's just me." He called. He knew better than to be loud when a newborn baby was around.

"Hey, man." Sean appeared coming out of the kitchen.

"Hey." Punk nodded, "Where's Jude?" He asked.

"She's asleep." Sean nodded, "I managed to convince her to lie down after Mirren fell asleep." He said, walking through to the kitchen as Punk followed.

"Well I can always come by tomorrow in the morning or afternoon." Punk nodded, sad he couldn't get to see Jude or Mirren, "Here's some cakes." He passed the box over to Sean who smiled and nodded.

"She'll have one of these for breakfast." Sean nodded, taking the box and sitting it over.

"How's the baby? She doing ok?" Punk asked as Sean nodded.

"Yeah, she's great. I mean, she had a bit of a rough night. Woke up quite a lot but… that's what happens, right?" Sean nodded.

"Yeah but… she'll get into a routine." Punk nodded, "How is Jude?" He asked as Sean nodded.

"Y-Yeah, yeah she's… she's good." Sean nodded, looking down as Punk watched him, "You want a drink or something?" He asked Punk.

"How is Jude?" Punk repeated, looking across at Sean who sighed a little.

"I'm kinda worried about her." Sean admitted.

"Why?" Punk asked, "What's wrong?"

"Well nothing is wrong." Sean said, "And it's… it's not Mirren. She's great with her." He said, "I think she might need to go back to therapy." He nodded.

"What makes you say that?" Punk asked.

"I can just see her slipping a little bit. I know she struggles regardless, but… she's not usually this vocal about it. I think she thought that having Mirren would distract her, it'd make her forget, and now that she knows it hasn't… I don't know, it's like she's disappointed." Sean nodded, "She feels like she should have moved on from it by now. That it should be fading." He said, "And there's only so much I can say without repeating myself over and over again."

"Look, Sean she's… she's just had a baby. She's sleep deprived, she's probably stressed, anxious about being a new mom." Punk nodded, "It can be a difficult time. Everyone always talks about how great it is, and it is for the most part but… it can be challenging." Punk nodded.

"I know and… and we can get through all of that but I just worry about her and what's going on in her head." Sean said as Punk nodded.

"I worry too." Punk nodded, "But she has you and Mirren now. You guys have a family. She's gonna have down moments but she'll pick herself back up. And maybe… maybe going back to therapy is a good idea." He said as Sean nodded.

"Yeah, maybe." Sean said, "I just hate that… she's always gotta live with it. I see it all the time. She still gets uncomfortable in public. We went out for dinner a couple months back and… we had to leave, it was like she was having a panic attack." He said, "I wish I could help her." He said as Punk sighed to himself and nodded.

"You are helping her. You're there for her when she needs you." Punk said, "We're all here for her. There's a chance that… this is all super overwhelming for her and it's… it's making her brain tick. But things will settle down." Punk assured him. He appreciated that his eldest daughters had partners who really cared about them.

"Yeah, I hope so." Sean nodded, "Sorry, I don't mean to involve you in… our business or whatever."

"Hey, I'm here for you guys. I know it's been a little crazy with April in hospital and everything that's been going on but… we'll get things back to normal." Punk said as Sean nodded, "Why don't you go sleep whilst Mirren is, I'll get out of here and come by tomorrow."

"Yeah… yeah, ok." Sean nodded, rubbing his face tiredly, "Thanks." He said as Punk nodded, leaving the kitchen and heading out of the house.

He headed towards his car about to open the door when he heard footsteps coming towards him.

"Hey." Dean nodded as Punk turned around.

"Hey." Punk turned to him.

"We gotta talk." Dean said, "About dad." He nodded, "There's a sentence I never thought I'd say to you." He said, patting Punk on the shoulder and walking around the car to get in as Punk sighed to himself.


	51. Hidden Stash

**Hidden Stash**

* * *

"Do you believe him?" Punk asked, sitting at a bar with Dean who had filled him in on the visit he'd had from their father.

"I don't know. I don't see what difference it makes." Dean said, "He still admitted that he walked freely." He said, "Just because he decided to come back years later doesn't make it ok." He shook his head, "He also said mom knew."

"What?" Punk turned to him.

"She knew he was gonna come pick us up that night apparently." Dean nodded, "I don't know, man. I don't like this." He shook his head, "I don't believe him and I don't believe he was coming to get us." He said, "Why can't your daughters behave themselves?" He asked angrily, "This is Cassie's fault-"

"Hey, it's not Cassie's fault." Punk defended, "She thought that we'd… we'd wanna talk to him, or at least hear him out." He said, "Tell me about this hit and run?"

"He didn't talk much about it." Dean said, "They charged him with hit and run but he never ran, so I don't get it. He thinks it's because the girls family was rich and they pulled some strings but… I don't know, it wasn't believable. It was like he was just making it up as he went along. I mean… I find it convenient that the night he had an epiphany that he should be a good dad and help us was the same night he wound up going to prison." He said as Punk ran his hands over his face.

"Mom knew about this and she never told us?" Punk said, "Why wouldn't she tell us?"

"Because I don't think he's telling the truth. I don't trust him." Dean said.

"Well obviously you don't. He's a stranger." Punk said, "He's telling the truth about the prison thing. And the hit and run. Cassie saw it on his record." He said.

"Yeah it's just the other stuff around it that doesn't make sense." Dean shook his head, "I was pretty at peace with not knowing who he was." He nodded to himself.

"Were you?" Punk asked him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm too old for this shit, Phil." Dean sighed to himself, "When I was a kid, sure I would have loved to know why the fuck he left but now… I just don't care. I don't have the energy to care." He shook his head.

"But why would he be lying?" Punk asked, "What would he be lying about that he couldn't tell us? We don't know him so… it's not like he's keeping things from us that would even matter." He said.

"I don't know. I don't know what his deal is." Dean said, "Renee was acting like everything was fine. She welcomed him in. Poured him some of my whiskey. Mine." Dean said angrily as Punk scoffed, "I don't understand women sometimes. I really don't." He said, "They got the best poker faces in the world."

"Yeah, I know. I see four of them every day." Punk nodded to himself, "Actually, five. Sofia's got a pretty good one nailed down already." He said as Dean sighed.

"What are we supposed to do?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. I just wanna be there for April right now. I don't wanna deal with this shit." Punk said, "Her parents showed up at the hospital, you know."

"April's parents?" Dean turned to him.

"Yeah." Punk nodded.

"Fuck. Why?" Dean shook his head.

"Sounds morbid to say it but I think… I think they thought she was on the way out." Punk said, "There's no way they would have come over here just to check on her. We haven't spoken to them since that night I was arrested. Well I haven't. I know April had words with them after that but… as far as I know that was it." He said, "And they just walk in like nothing's wrong. I fucking hate them." He shook his head with frustration.

"Or they've came for money." Dean said.

"They ain't getting shit from us." Punk shook his head.

"How is April?" Dean asked.

"She's ok. Up and down. She should be getting out soon." Punk nodded, "Told her about this guy… I can't even call him dad." Punk sighed to himself, "Just doesn't even sound right."

"Yeah, I know." Dean agreed, taking a sip of his drink.

"Do you remember it?" Punk asked, "Growing up? Mom's… mom's boyfriends?" He asked Dean.

"Some of it, yeah." Dean nodded, "Not in full but little bits here and there." He said, "What about you?"

"Yeah, some of it." Punk nodded, "Why wouldn't she tell us about dad?"

"Well to be fair, the woman was always drunk or high." Dean said, "It's not like she was even around to tell us." Dean said.

"But she had opportunities over the years. She's not one to shy away from the truth. Why not tell us that dad planned to see us again but ended up in prison?" Punk asked.

"Because there's obviously something going on. It's us. Things are never simple for us." Dean shook his head, "There's always a… story to another story." He scoffed, "I blame Cassie. No good comes from being a cop. I told her this."

"This isn't Cassie's fault." Punk rolled his eyes, "She came across the file at work, got curious, I don't blame her." He said, "We just gotta figure out what we're gonna do about it. Ultimately it's… it's our decision."

* * *

"Hey, Jake." Cassie walked into the police station where she saw her boss.

"Cassie… hey." Jake smiled, "How you doing?" He asked.

"I'm ok." Cassie nodded.

"How's your mom? That was a terrible accident she was in." Jake sighed as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, it was. She's doing ok. Still in hospital but… on the right tracks I guess." Cassie nodded.

"That's good to hear." Jake smiled, "I was… actually scheduled to call you in the morning."

"Yeah?" Cassie raised her eyebrows, "Well I know my leave of absence pay is stopping this week and I figured if my case was reviewed I'd be able to come back?" She wondered, "But since I hadn't heard anything I guess I was panicking so I thought I'd come down."

"Yeah, your case has been cleared, Cassie." Jake nodded with a smile.

"It has?" Cassie sighed with relief.

"Yes. You… were in every right mind to use a weapon, and you even managed to do it without anyone else getting hurt." Jake said, "You'll start back next week."

"Thank God." Cassie sighed with a smile, "I'm… I'm ready to come back now. I guess I was mad about having to take time off but in the end I think it… it worked out for the best." She said.

"Yeah, most cops say that." Jake nodded, "So I'll see you bright and early on Monday morning." He smiled, "There will be some papers for you to sign, I'll go over it with you then-

"Oh, so… who am I partnered up with now?" Cassie remembered to ask, "Obviously… Theo is no longer here." She folded her arms, looking down.

"Oh well… that must mean you're on your own now." Jake smiled a little as Cassie looked up.

"What?" Cassie shook her head, "As in… like no supervision?" She asked.

"You were with Theo for a long time." Jake said, "He had to do a report on you every month. I read them whilst you've been gone. I think you're more than capable of being on your own now." Jake nodded, "And I think Theo, if he was here, would agree." He nodded as Cassie raised her eyebrows.

"So… so I'm really just… on my own now?" Cassie shook her head.

"Well, we're a team here so you're never alone but in terms of being a rookie, I don't think we need to label you as that anymore." Jake said.

"So I get my own desk?" Cassie wondered.

"Yeah." Jake said, "Yeah, follow me." He nodded, walking on through to the back of the station where the desks were, "You'll work here now." He said, standing beside Theo's old desk.

"This… This was Theo's desk." Cassie said.

"Mhm, but… you also worked here too and I think you'd be his first pick to take over his spot here." Jake said.

"I… I don't know, I don't want to be a replacement. He was more than that." Cassie shook her head.

"You're not. But I know he thought very highly of you and… it makes sense." Jake nodded, "Plus, he gets the last laugh because you now get to be the one who clears out his entire desk." He smiled as Cassie looked at him.

"You're kidding." Cassie said, opening up one of the drawers which had stacks of paper work in them.

"Welcome back." Jake smiled, tapping Cassie's arm and walking off as she shook her head but with a smile, sitting down at Theo's desk and pulling herself in.

It oddly felt right to be sitting there, she felt connected to him through her job, and she promised herself and him that she'd do whatever she could to make him proud and do right by everything he had taught her.

She began clearing out his desk, separating all the paper work into piles, cursing him out for leaving her with this job, but also smiling as she done so. The thought of him laughing over her shoulder was making her smile.

"You had so much crap in here." Cassie mumbled to herself, pulling out all sorts from the drawers at the desk, dumping some papers on the floor for the trash.

She then got to the top drawers, pulling some papers out, sitting them on the desk as she got a quick glimpse of some familiar faces, little familiar faces.

"Wait a second." Cassie whispered, moving some papers out the way as she got to a folder which had 'Brooks' written on the top of it, opening it up where she saw pictures of her father and uncle from when they were little.

She shook her head with confusion, flicking through the papers and noticing Daniel's name appearing, along with the case file from his arrest.

"What the hell were you doing, Theo?" Cassie shook her head with confusion, noticing the date's which the papers had been printed was right before he died.


	52. Running

**Running**

* * *

"Jude!" Cassie called, bursting into her sister's house, "Jude!" She called.

"Hey." Sean walked out of the kitchen, "What's with all the yelling? Mirren is asleep." Sean shook his head.

"I have to talk to Jude, where is she?" Cassie asked.

"She's asleep. Cassie, what's wrong?" Sean shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I have to wake her up." Cassie said, running upstairs.

"Cassie." Sean followed her upstairs.

Cassie reached the top of the stairs, walking into her sister's bedroom where Jude was already sitting up.

"God, what are you squealing about?" Jude rubbed her tired eyes, sitting in the dark bedroom as Cassie switched the light on, causing her to screw her eyes up.

"You have to take a look at all of this." Cassie said, "Theo was looking into Daniel and… and dad before he died." She said as Jude stood up from the bed.

"Ok, I don't… I don't understand cop stuff." Jude groaned.

"Well I do. Give me that." Sean shook his head, taking some of the files from Cassie.

"They were in the car, Jude." Cassie said, "And… And so was Sam. All four of them were in the car-"

"These aren't the processed files." Sean looked at Cassie, "These are… You shouldn't have these, Cassie." Sean looked at Cassie.

"Which means the facts were twisted in the filed version, right?" Jude nodded, "And look who the officer was who signed the case through?" She pointed to the bottom of the papers.

"Officer Greg Hamilton." Jude read out, looking at Cassie.

"Why would someone change the information? What difference does it make if Sam and the kids were in the car?" Sean shook his head, "What the hell is this, Cassie?"

"I found it all in Theo's drawer. He… He was obviously looking into it without me knowing. I never told him much about what was going on but… he wasn't an idiot, he probably knew." Cassie said, "Look at this paper here." She said, showing Sean a piece of paper underneath all the others, "Daniel's name and Hamilton's name are both highlighted."

"I don't even know what you guys are talking about right now." Jude admitted tiredly, rubbing her face.

"What if… What if it was a different type of hit and run?" Cassie turned to Sean, "Like a… hit and then… a plan to run from something?" She asked.

"You think they were running from something?" Sean asked.

"Why would the four of them be in the car? And why the hell wasn't that on the processed files. Why did Hamilton choose not to put that down?" Cassie asked, "There is something weird going on here. And… And Theo was getting close to figuring out what." She said, "What the hell happened that night?"

* * *

"_Come on. How long does it take to put a couple bags in the car?" Sam asked, standing outside in the cold as she watched Daniel throwing some bags into the trunk._

"_Go get the boys." Daniel insisted, slamming the trunk down as Sam ran off into the house, making her way into the living room where her three and four year old son were._

"_Hey you two. Come on, let's go." Sam nodded._

"_Where?" Four year old Punk asked._

"_We're just going for a ride in the car." Sam said, "Come on, quickly." She told them._

"_I'm going quick." Punk bit back cheekily, walking ahead as Dean followed behind his brother._

"_Ok, go to the car." Sam told them, grabbing her purse as she left the house, locking the door, digging into her purse and pulling out the bottle of vodka in it, taking a drink followed by a deep breath, throwing it back into her purse._

"_Let's go, boys. Come on." Daniel nodded, lifting Dean into the car whilst Punk got in by himself on the other side, "We're going… on a fun trip." He explained._

"_Where?" Punk asked as Daniel reached over to help him with his belt._

"_It's a surprise." Daniel nodded, leaning back out of the car and shutting the door over whilst Dean turned to Punk._

"_Who's that man?" Dean whispered to his brother. _

"_I don't know." Punk said as Dean looked out the window._

"_Are we going to the park?" Dean asked his older brother._

"_But it's night time." Punk looked out the window._

"_So it's bed time?" Dean wondered with confusion, looking out the window curiously as Punk reached over and grabbed the action figure he had in his arms, "Hey!" Dean shouted._

"_That's mine." Punk declared, "You stole it."_

"_No I didn't!" Dean yelled, "Give it back."_

"_No." Punk smiled, waving it in Dean's face as Dean unclipped his belt, crawling over the space in the seat and grabbing his action figure back as Punk smacked him on the head with his hand._

"_Don't!" Dean warned, "Phil." He whined, feeling his older brother pulling his ear as he grabbed Punk's face._

"_Dean, stop it!" Phil yelled._

"_What are they doing?" Sam shook her head, opening up the car door, "Hey!" She yelled angrily as they both stopped fighting, "Quit it right now or I'll send you to the bad fire." She warned as Dean crawled back to his seat._

"_Mom, don't send us to the fire." Dean pleaded, sitting back into his car seat._

"_Then behave." Sam warned them both as Punk looked at her unhappily, watching her shut the car door back over._

"_I'll send her to the bad fire." Punk mumbled, playing with his action figure as Dean watched with jealousy._

"_Ok, let's go." Sam nodded to Daniel, taking the car keys from him._

"_You're not driving. You're drunk." Daniel said._

"_I'm fine." Sam shook her head. _

"_Late night drive?" Hamilton walked down the street as Sam and Daniel turned around, "I know y'all don't have money for a vacation." He said, walking over to the car and opening up the trunk where he saw all the bags, "And yet… you've definitely packed for one." He observed._

"_What do you want?" Daniel looked over at him._

"_I want to know why you're running off in the middle of the night?" Hamilton asked._

"_It's not a crime to leave the house in the middle of the night." Daniel said._

"_Yeah, you're right. It's not." Hamilton agreed, "But it is a crime to withhold information from the police." He said, "Your girlfriend… or whatever you two are to each other, she's a popular name around here for all the wrong reasons."_

"_Dude, please." Daniel looked across at him._

"_Running away is never the answer." Hamilton said as Daniel looked at him._

"_Please I'm asking you… as a brother." Daniel stared at Hamilton, "Just let us go."_

"_Nah, that line won't work on me anymore." Hamilton shook his head, "What is it, Sam? Drug debt? Can you not get enough dick inside you to pay it all off?" He laughed a little as Daniel grabbed him by the neck._

"_Enough." Daniel warned._

"_Easy, little brother." Hamilton warned. _

"_We got two boys." Daniel said._

"_Who you walked out on." Hamilton said, "And now what? You suddenly care?"_

"_They could be in danger. Just let me get them out of here." Daniel said._

"_And then what? You'll settle down somewhere else. Sam will still be a crackhead and… get herself into some new debt, and the wheel keeps on spinning." Hamilton said, "You made the right choice to walk out. Why'd you come back for them?"_

"_Because they're my sons and they could get hurt." Daniel said, "It's out of control now. People are coming for her. I… I didn't know it was so bad until she called me. I need to get them out of this place."_

"_You just don't want blood on your hands." Hamilton spat as Daniel looked at him._

"_I'm your brother, man. Come on." Daniel begged, "What the hell is wrong with you? These are my kids-"_

"_Who are better off without the pair of you. Who deserve better than this." Hamilton said, "A prostitute for a mom and a deadbeat dad who comes and goes? You shouldn't be running away. You should be sending those boys away to somewhere they'll be looked after properly."_

"_You shut your mouth!" Sam yelled, "You don't know anything."_

"_I know you're involved with drug gangs, I know you're running from trouble." Hamilton said._

"_Who isn't in this town?" Sam asked, "We're all on the same page. Is that why you like to snoop around here? Make people fear you? Look down on people?" She spat, "Does that make you feel big coming into a town like this and judging everyone?"_

"_You did it to yourself, Sam." Hamilton shook his head, "And now you've took my brother down with you."_

"_If I'm any brother to you, you'll let me leave." Daniel said, "You'll let me get my boys out of here. Think about them."_

"_Fine. Go. But… it'll catch up with you." Hamilton said, "You make your bed, you'll lie in it."_

"_Whatever." Daniel shook his head, walking round the car and getting in whilst Sam got in behind the wheel._

"_Was the police man yelling at you again?" Punk asked Sam._

"_Yes, that's what they do, Phil. They yell at people like us. All the time." Sam shook her head, starting the car up and driving off as Hamilton watched them standing on the path._


	53. Outcast

**Outcast**

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Sam opened up the door, looking across at Cassie.

"I came here to talk to you." Cassie said, pushing her way past Sam, walking into the house as Sam shook her head.

"You know, I always thought Thea was the cheekiest out of you three girls but… I'm started to reassess." Sam shook her head, closing the door back over, "What brings you to my palace?" Sam smiled, walking into the kitchen, watching as Cassie dumped folders down onto the table.

"You've got some talking to do, Sam." Cassie said, "A lot of it."

"What's that?" Sam asked curiously.

"Oh, this?" Cassie questioned, "This is a report filed, describing what happened the night Daniel was arrested for a hit and run." She said as Sam looked at her with confusion.

"Daniel? W-What? What are you talking about?" Sam shook her head.

"Oh, no one told you? That's right, because we all forget you exist sometimes." Cassie nodded, "I found Daniel a few weeks ago. Tracked him down. Didn't know that he was so close by but… I'm assuming you probably did."

"No, I haven't… I haven't seen Daniel since… since he was arrested-"

"Yet you told your sons that he walked out on you when you were pregnant with Dean." Cassie said.

"Wait a second, do… do Phil and Dean know? Have they spoken to Daniel?" Sam asked, "What the hell are you doing with this shit?" Sam shook her head.

"Police reporting kinda works like mock tests and then the final exam. There's all the paper work that gets thrown in the trash, and then there's the official report. Someone didn't throw the paper work away from Daniel's case." Cassie said, "And I'm seeing two stories that don't match up, at all." She said.

"Cassie, what the hell are you doing?" Sam shook her head, "Why are you… digging into this stuff?"

"I wasn't. My partner was. And he's… well he's gone now, but he left all of this in his desk at work. I've just found it." Cassie said, "Like everyone else I thought my dad's dad walked out on them, wound up in prison for a mistake and now he wants redemption but… you've been lying." Cassie said as Sam looked across at her.

"How have I been lying? Daniel did walk out on me and the boys. That's not a lie. He did walk out on us." Sam made clear.

"Yeah but… he came back, didn't he?" Cassie figured, "He came back because the night he was arrested, you were with him, so was my dad and uncle-"

"How the hell do you know this?" Sam asked, horrified.

"Because I am a cop!" Cassie said, "I'm on that side now. I don't have to wonder and hide things. I can get to them." She said, "The paper work that wasn't filed says that you, my dad and my uncle were in the car the night of the hit and run." She said, "And that bags were in the trunk."

"You don't know anything." Sam folded her arms, "You know nothing about this-"

"I know… but you're gonna tell me." Cassie said, "And you're gonna tell me right now." She spat as Sam looked across at her.

"You wouldn't understand." Sam shook her head.

"Try me." Cassie said, "Why were you taken out of the equation? Why were you and your sons erased from the file? And what were you running from?" She questioned as Sam looked across at her.

"What has Daniel said to you?" Sam questioned defensively, "What'd he tell you?"

"He's never even mentioned you." Cassie said, "My dad and uncle think he abandoned them and then wound up in prison. They think he's a deadbeat-"

"Well he is. He was." Sam said, "He walked out. I was the one who called him… because I needed help."

"Help with what?" Cassie asked.

"I got myself into trouble." Sam said, "Drug debt. I was… I was doing everything I could to get money. Including losing every sense of dignity and humility I had left." Sam nodded, "I called him out of desperation and he came." She nodded.

"You were gonna run away from debts?" Cassie asked.

"Yes. Yes, because believe it or not Cassie, I was scared for my son's. I know you all think I'm the worst mother ever, maybe you don't even look at me as a mother at all, but I didn't want them to be in danger." Sam said, "Yes I was still taking drugs and… I was drinking all the time but I still knew my boys were in danger-"

"And Daniel just came to your aid? Just like that?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, he did. He knew I was in trouble. He… wasn't exactly clean himself. Just like your mother and father, we got caught up in bad things but…. We decided we were gonna leave." Sam said.

"And this was the night Daniel killed that girl? That's the night you set out to leave?" Cassie asked.

"Yes." Sam said, "Only… Daniel didn't do it." She said as Cassie looked across at her.

"What?" Cassie said.

"I was behind the wheel." Sam nodded as Cassie ran her hands through her hair, "I knocked down that girl."

"Oh my God." Cassie shook her head, "You did it?"

"I… I never saw her, I didn't. She just came out of nowhere and I… I couldn't break in time." Sam said, "We got out the car right away and… Daniel told me to say it was him. That he was driving. I… I'd been drinking so-"

"Of course you had." Cassie shook her head, "You were that worried and concerned about your son's safety that you decided to get behind the wheel whilst intoxicated?" Cassie asked.

"The cops showed up." Sam explained.

"Yeah, Hamilton." Cassie nodded, "Says here, he lead the case but… if this was his paper work, why would he hide the fact you and the boys were there?"

"You don't know about him and Daniel, do you?" Sam figured.

"Know what?" Cassie shook her head.

"They're brothers." Sam said as Cassie raised her brows and shook her head.

"What? No… No, that cop has been on my dad's ass since he was a teenager. He's… There's no way." Cassie said in disbelief.

"They never got along. They were complete opposites. Hamilton was the good one, Daniel… the bad one." Sam said, "We'd talked to him before we left, he knew that we were running from bad stuff and… we didn't want him to say anything. He saw me get behind the wheel so when he pulled up at the scene he… he knew it was me who had to have been driving."

"How the hell are they brothers?" Cassie shook her head, noticing Theo had highlighted both names, "Theo already knew that." She realised as she looked at the paper work.

"Daniel said to him that he was driving but Hamilton knew it was me. He pulled me aside and told me to take the boys and leave. Go back home." Sam said, "So I did. Daniel got arrested for the hit and they also got him on other charges they were following up. Saw the bags in the car and figured he was trying to escape it all."

"So he went to prison for you?" Cassie asked.

"I didn't ask him to do that. He told me. Hamilton told me to go. He must have wrote it down in his notes but then the official report he obviously just said it was Daniel in the car." Sam said.

"And you went home? Where you were running from?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, Cassie, I had to go home and I had to deal with the debt. Phil and Dean brought themselves up because I had to work that debt off. I used to tell the boys that it was boyfriends, just to make it seem better but… they grew up and figured it out." Sam shook her head.

"Yeah these boyfriends who abused them." Cassie said, "Who chained uncle Dean to an oven one time. Did you know all of that?" She spat as Sam sat down at the kitchen table, placing her hands over her face.

"Yes, I knew that." Sam muffled against her hands.

"If Hamilton is their uncle, why didn't he do something?" Cassie spat.

"He did. The boys got taken out of my care multiple times by him. He put them in a good foster home but… they'd run away. They were little bastards when they were younger, believe me." Sam shook her head, "But I always told myself they were… they were coming back to check on me." She smiled to herself.

"Coming back to check if you were alive more like." Cassie said, "You never thought to tell them any of this as they grew up?" She questioned.

"No, I didn't because it doesn't change anything." Sam said, "They still had the same childhood, they still suffered, so what difference does it make?"

"They deserve the truth." Cassie said, "Because of you, Daniel spent his entire life in prison, because he was trying to help you-"

"And that's on him. He didn't have to." Sam said.

"You're unbelievable." Cassie shook her head, "How could you not have told them that Hamilton is their uncle?"

"Because they despise the guy, and the guy is a pig. He's a terrible person. A terrible cop. He never had the boys interest at heart. He was always racist to your mom and Thea. He's not their family, whatever you think." Sam said.

"They still deserved to know." Cassie spat, "What about Daniel? He got caught up in your mess and suffered the consequences."

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" Sam nodded, "He wasn't all innocent. He was running from his own debts. Mine was just with… more people." She said.

"And you wonder why my dad lived the life he did? After growing up around all of that." Cassie said, "They never had a chance with you, did they?"

"Phil made his own choices. I was never a drug dealer. I was the victim. Your dad turned into one of the people behind that. That's way worse than what I did-"

"You are not a victim." Cassie scoffed.

"Really? You think I enjoyed that life? You think I enjoyed being raped and… assaulted?" Sam asked as Cassie looked at her, "Go ask Jude-"

"Shut your fucking mouth, Sam. I'll beat you up." Cassie spat angrily.

"Well that's what it was, Cassie. That was my life." Sam said, "And sometimes I wonder what would have happened if… if we did get away that night. Would I have gotten clean? Would the boys have had different lives?" Sam said.

"Well like you said… what's the point? It doesn't change anything." Cassie said.

"You should have left all of this alone." Sam shook her head, "You had no business looking into this stuff." She stood up.

"You're right, it's not my business." Cassie nodded, "But it is my dad's and my uncles. And you're gonna tell them everything you just told me. You're gonna tell them the truth. You're gonna do one good thing for them in your life, and that's tell them what really happened."

"And what good will that do, Cassie?" Sam asked.

"Well I think it says a lot about you that they didn't know-"

"Please, those boys know I'm a terrible mother. What are you trying to prove to them?" Sam shook her head.

"They still deserve to know." Cassie spat.

"You're just causing everyone unnecessary stress." Sam shook her head.

"No, I want my dad and uncle to know what really happened when they were little, because as far as they know they had a drug addict mom and a dad who walked out-"

"Yeah and that's still the same story!" Sam yelled, "I was still a drug addict and their dad still walked out. Just… some things happened in the middle but the outcome was the same." Sam said, "So what is it? Why are you doing this?"

"Some things happened in the middle? Big things. The cop who has been on their ass their whole life is really their uncle. They deserve to know that." Cassie said, "Because they don't deserve anymore secrets and lies."

"Fine. You bring them here and I'll tell them everything. See what difference it makes." Sam shook her head, "Don't you have anything better to do? Your mother is in hospital right now."

"Yeah, my mom. Who did absolutely everything she could to be there for me and my sisters, to help us and raise us well. Maybe that's why I want my dad and uncle to get the truth. Because I can't even imagine what it'd be like to have a mother as useless as you are." Cassie spat as Sam nodded.

"Well then when you go to sleep tonight you count yourself lucky that you have saint April as your mom." Sam scoffed.

"Excuse me?" Cassie said.

"Your mom made her fair share of mistakes too, Cassie. We all have. You will soon enough. It's life, it's how it works." Sam said, "Is this an attention thing?"

"What?" Cassie shook her head.

"You digging all this up. Is it for attention? Because you're the youngest? The afterthought?" Sam asked.

"Is that what you think of me?" Cassie looked at her with sadness in her eyes.

"No, but it's what you think of yourself, isn't it?" Sam nodded, "There's Thea, the crazy one, the one who could probably survive on the streets if she had to, the tough one… there's Jude, crazy too but in a different way, outspoken, has this weird ability to control a room somehow… and then there's you… a cop?" Sam questioned, "The complete opposite of everything your family is about."

Cassie quickly gathered the paper work into a pile, running out of the kitchen.

"Where you going?" Sam asked, "I thought we were talking about this!" She called, listening to the door opening and closing shut loudly, shaking her head to herself collapsing down at the table, hands in her head.


	54. Final Straw

**Final Straw**

* * *

"Cassie?" Punk called, walking through the empty kitchen after getting home from talking with Dean, "Cass?" He said, heading upstairs, feeling the house oddly quiet.

He knocked on Cassie's bedroom door before walking in, finding her lying on top of her bed.

"Hey." Punk said.

"Hi." Cassie said, looking up at the ceiling like she had been ever since she collapsed in her bed, getting home from speaking with Sam.

"Where is Thea and Dominic? And the kids?" Punk asked.

"Uh… the movies I think. They wanted to get the kids out of the house." Cassie said as Punk nodded, "Where were you?" She asked him.

"I was talking to Dean actually. He got paid a visit from this… guy." Punk said.

"Daniel?" Cassie asked as Punk nodded.

"We were just talking about what we're gonna do about it." Punk said as Cassie sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard of her bed.

"Do you blame me?" Cassie asked him.

"No." Punk shook his head immediately, "No, he lives like five minutes away, you had every right to be curious. He's your grandfather." He said.

"Am I an afterthought?" Cassie asked him.

"Huh?" Punk shook his head.

"To this family?" Cassie asked him, "Am I the one that… is gonna end up distant in a few years? Am I different from everyone?" She asked him as he shook his head with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Punk laughed a little.

"I'm being serious, dad." Cassie said as his smile faded, "I used to think it was because I was the youngest. That you guys just wanted to protect me but… is it because I'm not like everyone else."

"Babe, what are you talking about?" Punk shook his head with confusion, "What do you mean you're not like everyone else?" He walked into the room, sitting down on the edge of her bed as she played with one of her cushions.

"It's always Thea and Jude." Cassie shrugged, "It's like… the four of you and then there's me." She nodded, "Some people don't even know you have a third kid." She said as Punk looked at her with confusion.

"What you… you think we love you less than Thea and Jude?" Punk shook his head as Cassie shrugged, "Come on, Cassie you can't be serious." He said.

"I ended up being a cop after being born to drug dealing parents." Cassie scoffed.

"You being a cop has nothing to do with how me and your mother see you. You're our daughter. Just the same as Thea and Jude." Punk said, "Is this how you really feel?"

"I didn't but… I don't know." Cassie shrugged.

"You being a cop makes me so fucking proud." Punk nodded, "Because you said hey mom and dad, fuck the societal norm, I'm gonna go be me." He said, "And you did. And you're good at it. All three of you are different in your own ways and that's… that's what makes it so amazing to be your dad." He said as Cassie looked at him, a smile forming.

"You should go talk to Sam." Cassie suggested.

"Yeah, me and Dean were talking about going to talk to her about some stuff." Punk said, "We'll go tomorrow or something-"

"No, I… I'd go tonight if I were you." Cassie nodded as Punk looked at her, noticing her eyes glassy.

"What'd she say to you?" Punk asked suspiciously.

"Nothing that matters. You should just go talk to her." Cassie nodded.

"Did she upset you?" Punk asked her.

"I'm a big girl, dad. I'm fine." Cassie said, "Just get Dean and go talk to her. She… has a lot to say, trust me." She shook her head as Punk stood up.

"Like what?" Punk shook his head.

"Just go." Cassie scoffed.

"Not until you tell me what's going on." Punk looked across at her.

* * *

"Hey, Cassie. What are you doing here so late?" A nurse asked as Cassie walked down the hospital corridor later on.

"Just to see my mom." Cassie nodded, "You reckon she's awake?"

"Probably." The nurse smiled, "Is everything ok?" She asked, noticing Cassie's eyes were red and puffy.

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine." Cassie nodded, walking down the rest of the corridor, heading into her mother's room where she was glad to see her awake watching TV.

"Cassie." AJ lifted her head from the pillow.

"Hey." Cassie said quietly as AJ looked across at her. She knew instantly that she was upset.

"Baby, what's wrong?" AJ frowned, sitting up a little.

"I just think I need a hug." Cassie nodded. Some things only her mother could fix.

"Oh, come here, baby." AJ sighed, creating space in the bed as Cassie walked over, sitting down on the edge of the bed and hugging into AJ tightly as she cupped her face softly.

"I miss you at home." Cassie sighed, hugging into her tightly.

"Baby, what's wrong? Talk to me." AJ said softly as Cassie leaned into her, "Why are you upset?"

"I got my job back. And I… I'm a full-time cop now. I don't need a partner to supervise me." She said, dodging her mother's question.

"Really?" AJ gasped, "Babe, are you serious?" AJ shook her head.

"Yeah." Cassie nodded, realising she wasn't as excited as she should have been. As she could have been.

"Oh my God, that's amazing, Cassie." AJ smiled happily as Cassie looked up at her, "I'm so proud of you, baby." AJ sighed with happiness, kissing her head as Cassie smiled a little.

"Are you?" Cassie looked up at her.

"Of course I am." AJ shook her head, "God, you work so hard, you deserve this so much." AJ kissed her head, hugging her tightly as Cassie smiled to herself. She didn't question her mother and father loving her, she knew they did, sometimes she just felt out of place, and foolishly she'd let Sam's hateful words get into her head, "Theo would be so proud of you." AJ whispered as Cassie nodded tearfully.

"I really miss him." Cassie cried as AJ nodded.

"I know you do." AJ sighed, holding Cassie in her arms, "But you get to use everything he taught you, and do him proud every day at a job that you both bonded over." She reminded her, "He wouldn't' want you to be upset." She said.

"I know." Cassie sighed, "I didn't really have anyone to tell. Jude is busy with Mirren and… Thea's gone out with the kids and Dominic. Dad is busy with Dean and… whatever's going on with them."

"Mama's always here to listen." AJ whispered, leaning her head against Cassie's.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie smiled, drying her tears as she looked up at the TV, "What are you watching?"

"Golden Girls." AJ said.

"This looks ancient." Cassie said.

"It is." AJ laughed a little, playing with Cassie's hair, "I used to watch this in the motel rooms that me and your dad would stay at. The same episodes would play over and over again." She shook her head as Cassie looked up at the TV, feeling her mother playing with her hair in a soothing manner.

"I could see myself watching it." Cassie nodded as AJ smiled.

* * *

"Alright alright, I'm coming." Sam walked down the hallway, reaching the door and opening it up where she saw her two sons standing on the doorstep, "Hello, children. Come on in." She nodded, having expected their arrival, letting them into the house and closing the door behind them.

"You got some stuff you wanna say to us?" Dean asked, walking through to the kitchen as Punk followed behind, trying to keep their cool as they reached the kitchen.

"I assume Cassie told you to come speak to me?" Sam asked, "I swear that girl isn't your daughter. I'd be doing some DNA tests if I were you." She chuckled.

"Shut up." Punk spat angrily as Sam looked at him, "She told me everything." He said as she looked across at both of them, "Everything that happened with dad and you. Trying to leave town. Dad taking the fall for you. Fucking Hamilton being our uncle!" Punk yelled angrily as Dean looked across at Sam.

"Now Phil, just… calm down." Sam warned, "I didn't tell you because there was no point-"

"I don't care if there was ever a point in telling us, we deserved the truth." Punk spat, "I mean that explains why he always took us away from you and put us in foster homes-"

"And does it explain why he's a bastard? A pig who constantly harassed you both as teenagers. Constantly harassed April and Thea?" Sam asked, "He is no family of yours-"

"Why did you keep all of this from us?" Dean shook his head angrily, "If it didn't make a difference like you say, why not just tell us?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was mad at myself?" Sam asked, "Mad that I never got us out of there in time-"

"And whose fault is that?" Punk asked, "You got behind the wheel, drunk, with us still in the fucking car!" He yelled, "And you never thought to tell us that a man who, yeah, has always harassed us and been on our case, was actually our fucking uncle!" Punk spat, "You just live in your own little bubble, don't you? You don't think. You never have." He said.

"I did everything I could to protect you both-"

"Bullshit." Dean shook his head, "We used to get beat up, mom." Dean said, "In our own house." He said with sadness, "We'd be hungry. And cold. And alone." He said as Sam looked at them both.

"And I tried to get us away from that but… but it didn't work. I had no choice." Sam said, "We all… we all make mistakes, right Phil?" She turned to Punk who raised his eyebrows.

"Right Phil?" Punk repeated, "What the hell is that meant to mean."

"Well you get it, don't you? Getting caught up in things you shouldn't have. Letting your children down." Sam said.

"Just shut up." Punk spat, "You and I are not alike." Punk made clear, "You never cared in the first place. You willingly got involved with drugs. Even when you were sober you weren't a good mom. You used to tell us we'd burn in a bad fire if we were bad." He shook his head with confusion.

"That's just a saying." Sam scoffed, "You know… the bad fire? Hell?" She shook her head as Dean ran his hands over his face, "Ok, I know I'm not mother of the century. I'm a terrible mother, I know that but… I never wanted either of you to go through he childhood you did. You have to believe me." She said, "Nothing really changes. Your dad still walked out on us-"

"And he came back." Dean said, "You failed to mention that. He came back. That means something to two kids who had nothing. Their dad coming back could have been lifechanging and then… you ruined our fucking chance with him."

"Your father is not a saint, believe me." Sam chuckled, "And neither are you two. You stand there, judging me, yet you two have gotten into your fair share of problems. Drug dealing. Arrests. Prison."

"Yeah well let's just say we didn't have the best start in life, did we?" Punk spat, "You're a liar. You've always been a liar."

"I've been here for you and your girls, whether you like it or not-"

"Yeah to take them for abortions and get them into trouble?" Punk questioned.

"Yeah well where were you when your teenage daughter was out sleeping with different men twice her age?" Sam spat as Punk walked towards her.

"Phil, don't." Dean warned, grabbing his brother back.

"I was there for your family when you weren't." Sam warned Punk.

"Why? Because you felt guilty? Because you fucked up so bad with me that you felt like you could make it up to me by being a gran to my kids? Which should be a fucking privilege to you in itself anyway." Punk spat.

"I love those girls. All five of them." She warned them both.

"Really? Because you just told Cassie that she's an outcast… an afterthought?" Punk said, "How fucking dare you!" He yelled.

"Well can you blame me? Look what she's dug up. This is all so unnecessary. This makes no difference to anyone's lives-"

"It makes a difference to ours." Dean said, "Because we owe the ten year old versions of ourselves an explanation as to why their mom couldn't look after them." He said calmly as Sam looked at him, "Cassie did the right thing, because now we know the truth about it all."

"No, she did it for attention." Sam shook her head.

"I'd pay to see her beat you ass right now." Punk spat.

"Ok, hold on then… you two wanna play the parenting game? You wanna shame me for how shitty a parent I am?" She questioned, "I can play that game too." She said, "Let's see… crackhead daughter." She pointed to Punk whose nostrils flared, "Who was also shot, had a psycho boyfriend growing up who you couldn't do anything about. Why? Oh because you were in prison." She nodded.

"Shut your mouth." Punk spat.

"And then there's Jude… you didn't even notice when she walked in on Christmas morning that something had happened." Sam spat, "April noticed, Thea noticed, I noticed… you were oblivious-"

"Don't you dare talk about that. Don't you dare." Punk spat.

"Just stop it." Dean warned.

"Oh, don't think I forgot about you. Does Chrissy know you put her ex-boyfriend in the hospital?" Sam questioned as Dean stared across at her.

"Shut up." Dean spat.

"You boys wanna blame me for how you turned out? Go ahead, but I don't live inside your heads, I never made you make the choices you both did. That's on your hands." She said, "If I told you all these things you would have turned out the same way."

"It's not about what it would have done for us. It's just about telling us the truth. That's all you had to do." Punk said, "I'm done with you." He made clear.

"You've always been done with me, Phil." Sam scoffed.

"No, this time… I'm done." Punk said, "Just stay the hell away from me and my family." He shook his head, walking out of the kitchen as Dean nodded in agreement.

"We're done." Dean nodded to her as Sam looked at him, watching as he left the kitchen, both of them leaving the house as she sat down at the kitchen table, grabbing the bottle of vodka and pouring some in a glass desperately, drowning in it as she'd always done.


	55. Friend

**Friend**

* * *

"I wanna have a party." Punk nodded, sitting in the kitchen with Dean who looked at him with confusion.

"You what?" Dean screwed his face up.

"For April. For her coming home." Punk nodded, "I wanna have a party." He said, "She'll be out in a couple of days, we should do something."

"You really think a party is what we all need right now?" Dean asked, "We've just found out our mom is an even bigger liar than we thought. Our dad may actually have come back for us, and we have an uncle who has gave us nothing but bother over the years." He said.

"Yeah well that shit isn't my family, Dean. This is. April is my family. My girls. You." Punk said, "I never trusted mom, I just bit my tongue because… well I did think she had been there for the girls when I was in prison. And I appreciated that. I know her and Thea are close. I never wanted to come between that." Punk explained, "But all she's ever done is lie to us. And now this guy… our dad, he's spent his entire life in prison and… and I don't know if he's expecting something from us but I don't think I have it in me to give him it." He said as Dean nodded.

"Yeah, it's… it's a bit late." Dean agreed, "Hearing all this… doesn't really make him out to be the bad guy I thought he was." He admitted, "He got caught up and took the fall for mom. He's… kinda like you."

"Don't." Punk warned, "Please do not compare me to them." He begged as Dean nodded, "I mean… he still walked out on us in the beginning. Thinking about the bigger picture, nothing has really changed and it probably wouldn't have changed if she told us sooner but… it's not about that." He said.

"What'd you think they were running from?" Dean asked.

"Well whatever it was, mom paid it off." Punk looked at him, "Makes sense I guess. I never really understand how she wound up… doing what she was doing. Sleeping with all the guys. Leaving us on our own. I never thought she did out of choice so I guess this kinda proves that."

"What are we gonna do about Hamilton?" Dean asked him, "He's our fucking uncle. He never did anything remotely close to help us. Maybe he tried putting us in foster care and whatever but… when we got older he just… he made it harder for us. Why would he do that?" He shook his head.

"Well it doesn't sound like him and Daniel are the closest brother in the world so… I doubt we made an impact on his life." Punk shrugged.

"We gotta confront him about it, right?" Dean nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." Punk nodded.

"And what about… what about dad?" Dean asked, "I mean he fed me a bullshit story, he fed me the cop story, why would he still wanna protect mom?"

"He probably just wanted to tell the story that makes him look bad, to see how we'd react." Punk said, "I'm just… I'm tired of this shit. I'm too old for it. I want a quiet life with April and I wanna… watch my kids grow up and… babysit my grandkids and take a vacation with Ape somewhere… I don't wanna be feeling like this." He sighed to himself.

He was caught off guard by how much he felt affected by finding out the truth about his childhood and the story between his parents. He hated the what if's that it left around his head, the secrets he never knew and the lies he and his brother grew up in. It hurt. Of course it hurt.

"So you just wanna ignore it all?" Dean asked as Punk shrugged.

"Well fuck mom, I'm not talking to her again." Punk said, "She made Cassie real upset. If she cared about my girls she wouldn't… say shit like that to them." He shook his head, "And dad… I don't know, I don't even know what I'm supposed to say to him." He shook his head, running his hands over his face as Dean watched him.

"Maybe we should have a party." Dean nodded as Punk looked across at him, "For April coming home." He said, "Yeah, it's been a while since we had one. We can also celebrate Mirren being born." He said.

"Yeah?" Punk questioned as Dean nodded.

"Yeah." Dean said, "Remind ourselves of the amazing families we got." He nodded to his brother as Punk smiled.

"Yeah, in the meantime I'm gonna need to fill everyone in." He shook his head.

* * *

"I can't believe Sam never told them." Thea shook her head, standing in her niece's nursery the next day whilst Jude changed Mirren at the changing table.

"Really? You can't believe it?" Jude shook her head, "I can." She said.

"I know she has her flaws but she… she was always honest, right?" Thea said, "She always told the truth, even if it was humiliating for her." Thea said.

"I think this might go beyond humiliation, Thea. She killed someone and then… let Daniel take the blame." Jude shook her head, "She's unstable, she always has been."

"I know that, I'm not condemning what she did." Thea made clear.

"What are dad and Dean doing?" Jude asked as Thea watched her struggling to put the clean diaper on Mirren.

"You need help with that?" Thea asked her, walking over to her.

"No, I got it." Jude insisted stubbornly as Thea watched her trying to feed the diaper under Mirren.

"Jude, there's an easier way to do it, just let me show you." Thea scoffed, walking over and budging her sister out of the way, "Don't worry, I had to ask mom for help with this too." She nodded.

"I'm scared I hurt her. She's so small." Jude shook her head.

"I know, but look, you just take her little legs and slide the diaper under." Thea said as Jude watched.

"You make it look easy." Jude said tiredly.

"You'll get the hang of it." Thea nodded, "Just don't be stubborn. If you need help with something, ask me. I know mom isn't around right now to help but I'm here." She said.

"Your daughter almost set her hair on fire." Jude scoffed with laughter as Thea shrugged, "What is dad saying about all of this?" She asked.

"Not much." Thea said, "In fact, we're having a party tomorrow night."

"What?" Jude turned to her, "What is wrong with this family?" She shook her head.

"No, it's… it's for mom coming home. She's getting out tomorrow and dad thought it'd be a good idea. And to celebrate this little one being born." Thea smiled over at Mirren.

"Mom, who has a head injury? He's throwing a party for her?" Jude asked, "Doesn't she wanna just come home and rest?"

"Well it's not gonna be rave or anything, Jude. It's just family coming together, some food and drink." Thea shrugged.

"I think I'll pass." Jude nodded.

"What? Why?" Thea questioned.

"I've just had a baby and I… she needs to be in a routine and I'm just not in the mood for a party." Jude shrugged as Thea looked at her.

"Have you left the house since you had her?" Thea wondered.

"What?" Jude turned to her, "Of course I have." She lied.

"With Mirren? I notice the stroller is still up here." Thea said, "Go for a walk in the park or something. It'll be good for her and for you." She nodded, "I loved taking James out when I first had him-"

"Yeah well I'm not you, am I?" Jude said as Thea looked across at her.

"Are you ok?" Thea asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Jude said, "It's been a few days. Me and Sean have just been trying to adjust. And I don't fancy going all the way to mom and dad's for a party where everything is awkward because of what's going on." Jude shook her head.

"It's not gonna be awkward. It's family." Thea said, "Jude, you have to get out of the house with her. Even if it's just to go to the store or get a coffee."

"I will. It's only been a few days." Jude shook her head as Thea watched her.

"Are you really not gonna come? Mom will be upset." Thea said.

"I'll see mom later." Jude shook her head, picking Mirren up from the table, holding her against her chest.

"Ok well… I'll let dad know then." Thea nodded, "Are you sure you're ok?" Thea asked.

"I'm fine." Jude assured her as Thea nodded.

* * *

Thea left her sister's house and drove elsewhere, not finished with her round of visiting yet, parking the car and getting out as she approached Sam's house, knocking on the door with a heavy fist.

"It's you." Sam noticed as Thea walked into the house, "Your dad send you?"

"No." Thea said, walking on through to the kitchen, noticing the empty bottles of alcohol sitting around, more than the usual, "Rough night?" Thea asked her as Sam nodded.

"Yeah, you could say that." Sam nodded, "I'm assuming your dad has filled you in on all my lies." She said.

"Yeah, he has." Thea said, "How could you? After everything they went through as children, don't you think they deserved the truth about everything?"

"Thea, why didn't you wanna tell your family that you had an abortion?" Sam asked.

"Oh, shut up, that has nothing to do with this." Thea spat angrily.

"No, tell me… why didn't you want to tell your mom you had an abortion?" Sam asked as Thea looked across at her, "What did you say to me back then?"

"I was… well I was embarrassed about it." Thea nodded truthfully.

"And that's exactly how I felt about telling my son's the truth." Sam said, "And I didn't want to tease them with this… idea that maybe their life could have been different if I didn't drag Daniel into things with me that night. Maybe it would have been me who went to prison and… Daniel would have looked after them and… been the parent they needed." Sam said, "I never wanted them to think that because I knew it'd hurt them."

"It's not all about you, Sam. This was their life. They deserved to know." Thea said, "What good was it really doing? Keeping it from them?"

"I am already the worst mother on earth, I didn't want them to think any worse of me." Sam said truthfully.

"Well now they do." Thea assured her, "I mean why… why didn't you at least tell them about their uncle. Someone who has been around them for years. I can't even imagine how it'd feel to find out that that's… that's your family-"

"Because Hamilton is a piece of shit who never cared about them. Family or not. I didn't want them to get hurt. Is that so hard to believe?" Sam shook her head.

"No, you said it yourself, you just didn't want them thinking any lower of you than they already did." Thea said, "I thought you were my friend." She shook her head.

"Sweetie, I am your friend. I'm here for you. Whatever is going on with… with me and your dad, your uncle… it's got nothing to do with you or our relationship. You girls are the best thing that happened to me. I got a chance to… do some good for once-"

"Yeah only… it wasn't us who needed you to do good, Sam. It was your son's." Thea shook her head as Sam looked across at her.

"I tried my best." Sam shook her head, "You don't know what it was like-"

"I do, actually. I've been in debt. You know that." Thea said, "And all I could think about was getting my children, my family the hell away from all of it. And I did." She said.

"Yeah and you left your pregnant sister as bait." Sam spat as Thea grabbed her by the neck immediately, pushing her against the fridge.

"No… no, my family had my back, which is more than what I can say for you." Thea said, loosening her grip on Sam's neck.

"Well I'm used to it." Sam said, massaging her neck.

"I'm gonna go. I don't even know where I stand with you anymore." Thea admitted, "I know what it's like to have demons. To be desperate for a drink or… a line. Whatever." Thea said, "But I know I have my kids and my family who need me and who love me." She said, "That wasn't enough for you, though… was it?"

"Well you should know better than anyone that addiction is different for everyone. Maybe you're just stronger than I am." Sam said, "If you're leaving then go, I'm going out." She announced.

"I'm going." Thea nodded, about to leave the kitchen, turning back around and slapping Sam across the face, almost knocking her down to the ground.

"What the hell?!" Sam held her cheek, leaning against the fridge.

"That's for what you said to Cassie." Thea said angrily, "Don't you ever tell my sister she doesn't belong in this family." She spat, "The only one who doesn't belong is you." She said, storming out of the kitchen and leaving the house.


	56. Party

**Party**

* * *

"You want a beer?" Dean asked, opening up the fridge and looking over at Cassie standing in the kitchen.

"Yeah, please." Cassie nodded, watching him take out two bottles, handing one over to her.

"Your dad told me that you're a full-time cop now, no rookie anymore." Dean smiled.

"Yeah, thrown into the deep end." Cassie nodded, "I start officially on Monday."

"Well good luck. I have no doubt you'll be great." Dean raised his beer to her as Cassie smiled.

"Have you and my dad talked about… seeing Daniel again?" Cassie wondered.

"Not really." Dean said, "Your dad wanted to focus on your mom coming home today. Throwing this little get together for her." He said, "I don't know if he even wants to talk to him."

"Do you?" Cassie asked.

"I'm not sure either." Dean said, "I mean… he still walked out. Yeah, he came back and tried to get us out of there but… he still left. And nothing changes the fact he's still a stranger to us." Dean shrugged as Cassie nodded.

"What about Hamilton?" Cassie shook her head, "Are you guys gonna confront him?"

"We haven't really talked about it yet." Dean said, "I think we're just processing it. Your dad wants to get your mom home, stress free, make sure she's good. It's about her today." He said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, it is." Cassie agreed, "I'm sorry for digging all of this up." She looked across at him, "I mean ultimately this… this is all my fault."

"No, it's not your fault. We know the truth now." Dean nodded, "You did the right thing by telling us. A lot of our childhood kinda feels patchy, I can't really describe it but I think me and Phil both knew that there was a lot of stuff we didn't know." He said as Cassie nodded.

"I still feel bad about it." Cassie admitted.

"Don't." Dean shook his head, "And don't let Sam's words get into your head. I've listened to them all my life and… nothing she says is true." Dean assured her as Cassie nodded with a smile, "Hey, cheers to being a cop on your own now." He smiled, leaning his beer over and clinking it against hers as she nodded.

"Yeah, cheers." Cassie smiled.

Meanwhile, majority of everyone else was in the living room, waiting for Punk and AJ to arrive home.

"Why did you say Jude wasn't coming?" Dominic turned to Thea, sitting on the couch with her.

"No reason." Thea said, "She just said she wasn't up to it." She shrugged, "Sofia! Stop fighting with your brother." She warned, watching her children fighting with each other on the floor.

"He started it." Sofia complained in a squeaky voice, trying to escape her brother's grips.

"I don't care, babe just stop it." Thea nodded as Sofia huffed angrily.

"She has your temper." Dominic told Thea.

"I know, it's terrifying." Thea nodded, watching Sofia walk over to the other couch, sitting up on it and folding her arms moodily.

"So Jude just… didn't wanna come?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm kinda worried about her." Thea said, "I think tomorrow morning I'm gonna take her out for coffee or something. She hasn't left the house since she had the baby."

"Really?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah, and I text Sean and he says he's worried about her too. He's tried getting her to go out, even just for a walk or something but she's not… she doesn't want to." Thea said, "My mom's gonna be upset she's not here."

"I mean she has just had a baby. Maybe she just needs a couple days. It can be overwhelming. Especially since she's new to all this." He said.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't want her to isolate herself, you know? I'm gonna just show up unannounced tomorrow morning and take her out." Thea nodded.

"You're a good sister." Dominic nodded, kissing her cheek as she smiled, "How are things with your dad and uncle?"

"Well as far as I know they blew up at Sam and they haven't spoken to Daniel yet. I don't know if they will." Thea said, "It's all very dramatic." She whispered to him.

"It is. When I saw your dad the other day he just looked sick and tired of it all." Dominic said.

"I don't blame him. He's in his fifties, you know. He just wants peace." Thea shook her head, "And he deserves it."

"You think he'll talk to the cop? Their uncle?" Dominic asked.

"God knows." Thea shook her head, "It's messed up. I mean… that guy used to shout racial abuse at me and my mom when I was little." She said, "I doubt my dad and uncle will be inviting to family occasions now." She said as Dominic nodded.

"You ok?" Dominic asked her as she turned to him.

"Yeah, why?" She shook her head.

"Well… I know you were close to Sam. I know you two got on well and… she was there for you a lot." Dominic said, "How does this all play out with you and her?"

"I don't know, I just wished she told them the truth sooner. I know the guilt and the weight you can feel when you're an addict. You do too." Thea said as he nodded, "But my first thought is always them." She looked over at James and Sofia as Dominic nodded, "Even when I'm really struggling. I always think of them and what they deserve." Thea nodded, "I just wish Sam could have done that for my dad and uncle." She shook her head.

"You think she was in too deep?" Dominic asked.

"She never said what kind of debt she was running from exactly. Or who she was running from. Drug debt I'm assuming but… clearly it was people like Rio or people like Austen. It's not the debt they want, they just enjoy the fear more than anything." Thea shook her head.

"It's sad, actually." Dominic nodded, "It's waste of a good life." She said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, it is." Thea said, "Don't bring it up with my dad or uncle. I think they're just trying to avoid it for now, at least just until my mom is back home and settled."

"Does your mom know about it all?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah my dad filled her in on it. She didn't have much to say about it, I guess." Thea shrugged.

"Are her parents still here or did they fly back to Puerto Rico?" Dominic asked.

"I actually have no idea." Thea shook her head.

"I think that's them home." Dean walked into the living room with Cassie.

"You good?" Punk asked, giving AJ his arm as he helped her out of the car.

"Yeah, my legs still work." AJ said stubbornly as Punk scoffed.

"You're weak, just let me help you." Punk said.

"Phillip Brooks, I am not weak." AJ gasped, "But I will… hold onto you a little." She mumbled, taking a hold of his arm. Her body was physically drained from lying in a hospital bed for over a week. She was still ordered to rest herself as much as possible by the doctors, but she was just so glad to be getting home.

"Ok, I won't tell anyone." Punk promised as she smiled, leaning into him.

"Good boy." He patted his arm, taking the help he was offering and heading into the house where she had been dreaming of going ever since waking up in the hospital.

"Why are there balloons everywhere?" AJ laughed to herself, looking on at the balloons along the hallway, hearing chatter from the living room, "Are we hosting and you never told me?"

"Maybe." Punk smiled, walking through to the living room where everyone was waiting.

"Hey." AJ laughed a little, watching as their faces all lit up, standing up and swarming her with hugs and kisses. She felt blessed to have such a wonderful family.

"Hey, mom." Thea smiled happily, wrapping her arms around her tightly as AJ smiled.

"Hi, baby." AJ smiled.

"A!" Sofia squealed, jumping off the couch and running towards AJ.

"Gentle, Sofia." Thea reminded her daughter, "You guys gotta be careful around A." She told her and James.

"Ok." Sofia smiled, stroking AJ's leg like a cat as AJ chuckled.

"Hey, I still need a cuddle, though." AJ smiled, crouching down and pulling them into a tight hug.

"We missed you." James told her as AJ smiled, cupping his cheek.

"I missed you guys too." AJ smiled, making her way around everyone to say hi, noticing Jude wasn't anywhere to be seen, "Hey, I'm a daughter down." She looked over to Punk, "Where's Jude?" She asked him.

"She just wasn't up to coming." Punk said, "I think she was just really tired."

"Oh." AJ nodded, "That's ok." She said as Punk nodded, watching her talking with Dean and Renee, smiling to himself whilst Thea approached him.

"How was she in the car home?" Thea asked him.

"She's still super tired. She needs her rest." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, we won't stay long." Thea said, "The kids are really glad she's back." She laughed a little, noticing James and Sofia tagging along behind AJ like her shadow.

"Everyone is." Punk took a deep breath, looking over at AJ, smiling to himself as he watched her in amongst their family, "Thought I was gonna lose her, Thea." He shook his head. He was incredibly grateful and lucky to be taking AJ home.

"I know but you didn't." Thea assured him, "She's here and she's gonna be ok." Thea nodded, rubbing his arm as he smiled, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her head.

It had been a stressful and worrying time for all of them, putting aside all the added drama, he was just taking the night to be so grateful and thankful that his wife was here with them.

"I wish Jude was here." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Thea said, "I'm gonna swing by her place tomorrow, drag her out for a coffee, put the stroller she still hasn't used to good use." She said, "She needs to get out of the house."

"Well you can't force her but… it would do her some good." Punk agreed, "I think she might be struggling a little." He suspected.

"Yeah, I think so." Thea nodded, "I'll be there for her. Don't worry mom about it. She needs to focus on her right now." She said, looking over at her mom.

"Yeah." Punk nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of mothers…" Thea looked at him, "You're done with Sam?" She asked him.

"Yeah." Punk nodded briefly.

"What about your dad? Your new uncle?" Thea asked.

"I don't know. I don't know what to do about any of it." Punk said, "I've told your mom about it all but… I don't want her to worry about any of this crap. I want her to rest and focus on her."

"Yeah well you can talk to me about it." Thea reminded her.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do. Neither does Dean. I don't feel like I would be gaining anything if I spoke to my dad again. I'm fine with… not having had a dad. When I was little I wasn't but… I'm kinda over it now." He told her as she nodded.

"I just wanna say I think… I think you and Dean were treated really unfairly as kids. You deserved the truth before now." Thea said.

"Well… that's life, I guess. You don't have everything figured out." Punk said.

"What about Hamilton?" Thea asked.

"He's no uncle of mine." Punk shook his head, "This… This here is my family." He nodded, "This is what I always wanted and I have it. I… I'm not looking for other things to fulfil me." He shook his head as Thea nodded.

"Well it's up to you and uncle Dean." Thea nodded, "You got whatever time you need to think about it." She said as Punk nodded, "You should probably go make a toast. I think that's what normal families do." She nodded.

"This ain't a normal family, babe." Punk assured her, "But yeah, I got things to say." He said as Thea smiled, watching him walk into the centre of the living room.

"I got something to say." Punk said loudly for everyone to hear.

"What if we don't wanna hear it?" Dean called back as Punk stuck his middle finger up at him.

"What does that mean?" James asked, sticking his middle finger up and showing Thea.

"Hey no… don't do that." Thea laughed a little, "Dad." She scoffed as Punk shrugged.

"I just wanna say I'm really glad my amazing wife is back home." Punk nodded, looking over at AJ who was standing with Dean who wrapped an arm around her, "You're amazing, and I love you." He winked as she smiled, "And I mean it, I'm dying first." He warned her as AJ chuckled.

"If you insist." AJ smiled. She knew her husband didn't have to make a big scene, she knew how loved she was every day by her family, but to hear it was still sweet.

"And to Cassie, for upgrading from badass rookie to… regular, badass cop." He said as Cassie smiled, "And our new granddaughter who… I'm sure is keeping Jude and Sean super busy." He smiled, "I am super grateful for all of you and…" He paused, watching as Sam stumbled through the living room door, drunk of course.

"My invitation get… lost?" Sam chuckled, "As it always does." She stared across at Punk who turned to Dean, growing nervous, "I got more things to say."


	57. The Final Truth

**The Final Truth**

* * *

"Don't make me throw you out of here." Punk shook his head, looking across at his mother as the room fell silent.

"Well since the truth means so much to you all." Sam shrugged, holding onto the door to keep herself steady.

"Just get out." Punk nodded.

"You know what? I was always jealous of you." Sam said, walking further into the room, "Both of you." She looked over at Dean, "You guys have the… perfect marriages, perfect families-"

"Perfect?" Punk laughed a little.

"Well… some of you seem perfect." Sam said, "Some of you… could do with some work, I guess." She turned to Thea who glared back at her.

"Fuck you, Sam." Thea shook her head, hurt of course, "Take the kids upstairs." She told Dominic who nodded, collecting the kids and getting them out of the now hostile area.

"If you've came here with something to say then say it, otherwise Thea is gonna show you out." Punk said.

"I have something to say." Sam nodded, "But I'm not the only one in the room who knows about it." She smiled to herself as Punk watched her, "Isn't that right, April?" She turned to AJ who stood beside Dean, folding her arms.

"You need to leave." AJ suggested, "Now."

"Your precious April… is just a big a liar as I am." Sam nodded, "Granted, she has no idea about your dad and Hamilton and all that mess but… she does know who we were running from that night." She said.

"What are you talking about?" Punk shook his head.

"The Mendez family, that's what I'm talking about." Sam said, "Come on, you know her family are dealers and suppliers. It's how they wound up friends with Rio, right?" She said.

"Stop it." AJ warned as Punk looked over at her, "Phil, just get her out of here."

"You were running from AJ's family?" Punk asked as Sam nodded.

"Yeah, we were." Sam said, "April found out the night you were arrested. She went to her parents, called them out for dumping Marina's debts on you and they told her." She said, "They also told her something else."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" AJ shook her head.

"What? He wants the truth so he's getting it." Sam said as Punk looked over at AJ.

"Is this true? Did you know?" Punk asked her as she looked across at him, not saying anything.

"Yes she knew. I had to go get her that night. She almost killed her parents." Sam said, "You ever wonder, Phil, why you got sent out the night that Rio was supposed to get arrested? Back when you were nineteen? Why Rio made you go that one night when every other week he would go himself?" She asked.

"Sam, I swear to God…" AJ shook her head.

"April's parents told Rio about the set up. They asked Rio to send you there instead." Sam said as Punk shook his head.

"How do you know all of this?" Punk shook his head.

"April told me the night she found out. She was a mess. She didn't have anyone to turn to so I picked her up and she told me. I thought about filling her in about your dad and whatever but… I figured her brain had had enough for one night." She said.

"So it was… it was her parents? Both times?" Punk asked as Sam nodded.

"Why would her parents be chasing you for debt?" Dean asked.

"Because they were drug dealers. Bad ones." Sam said, "The good news is April isn't like them. She's like us. She keeps secrets so that no one gets hurt." She said as Punk turned, looking across at AJ.

"How did they know that April was trying to set Rio up?" Punk asked, feeling numb with all this new information, all this new information that pointed the finger at his in-laws.

"I don't know, they just found out and they warned Rio. They asked if he could send you out that night. I guess they thought it'd be funny to watch April feel like she sent you to prison that night." Sam said.

"You need to leave right now." AJ warned, walking over to Sam, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her out of the living room.

"Get off me!" Sam yelled as AJ used what little strength she had to drag her out of the house, throwing her out the door as Sam fell over.

"How dare you." AJ looked down at her.

"Yeah well… they want the truth, April. If I have to give them it, so do you." Sam spat, getting to her feet and staggering away as AJ ran her hands through her hair, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a second.

She walked back into the house, closing the door over and walking back into the living room, watching everyone stare at her.

"Can everyone get out, please?" AJ asked, "I want to talk to my husband." She made clear.

"Is all of that true?" Thea asked with confusion.

"Thea, please. Just give me a minute with your dad." AJ nodded to her as Thea backed off, walking out of the living room as they all spilled out after, closing the doors behind them and leaving AJ and Punk in the living room.

"Why… Why did you keep all of this from me?" Punk asked calmly as AJ looked across at him.

"Because you'd suffered enough in prison without knowing that… both times it was my parents." She said, "It just… Phil, it didn't matter."

"It didn't matter?" Punk shook his head, "April, your family are the reason I grew up abused. Why-Why would that not matter?" He asked.

"It had nothing to do with me. I… I didn't know any of that until the night you were arrested. I went to my parents and… I called them out, I told them this was all their fault and they came clean. They told me everything. About their history with your mom and then about warning Rio that I was setting him up." She said, "I almost killed them, Phil." She said, "And your mom… your stupid fucking mom… she came and helped me, she calmed me down, she took me home and I… I told her about it all." She said.

"So… not only is my mom a liar but… my wife too." Punk nodded to himself.

"Hey, no… don't put it like that." AJ warned him, "We're better than this. I'm sick of all of this." She told him truthfully as he looked at her, "I'm sick of my parents, your mom, all the lies-"

"Which you were keeping." Punk said, "It's been twenty-one years since that conversation you had with your parents. Twenty-one. You had time to tell me."

"There just didn't seem like a point. It wasn't gonna change anything." AJ said as Punk closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"The point is, April… I think I deserved the truth." He told her calmly, "From you of all people." He said.

"I wanted to tell you. I wanted to run to you and tell you but you were in prison and I… I was a mess." AJ said, "They told me all this stuff and it made sense but I… I couldn't believe it."

"Why did they warn Rio? Why did they want me to take the fall?" Punk asked her.

"They… found out I was pregnant and wanted you gone." AJ said as Punk nodded to himself, "And they figured that I would blame myself so much for it that I would go to Puerto Rico with them. That I'd show up at their house since I didn't have anyone else." She said, "But they were never my family." She made clear, "Even back then."

"So they've done all this to us… why? Because they don't like me?" Punk shook his head.

"Because they're not good people." AJ said, "And I'm sorry I never told you but I just wanted things to be normal." She said, tears in her eyes, "When you got out of prison I was just… I was so sick of all of it, I didn't want to tell you about it." She shrugged, "I thought you'd suffered enough."

"Wait… wait a minute, though… when we met you were new to school. You were the new kid. You didn't always live here." Punk shook his head with confusion, his brain having to travel back and forth to understand all of this.

"I was born here, moved to Puerto Rico when I was little and then we went back and forth. Once my family got friendly with Rio, we decided to stay here permanently." AJ said, watching as he walked over to the couch, taking a seat and running his hands over his face, "I'm sorry I never told you. I just… I didn't think this family need to suffer anymore pain at the hands of people who are meant to love us." She shook her head as he took a deep breath, looking up at her.

"It's not your fault." Punk shook his head, "I'm just starting to see a little bit of a pattern, that's all. With your parents." He looked up at her.

Things he thought he was sure of, now had completely different backstories, all which involved his in-laws. He knew they weren't good people from the minute he met them when he was a teen, but he never could have thought they were at the heart of so many problems.

"When they told me everything, I didn't believe it at first and then I… I started thinking about it. It made sense." She said, sitting down beside him on the couch, "Then this week in the hospital when you were telling me about your mom and your dad… I knew this was about to come out." She said.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Punk shook his head, "Years ago."

"Because… I just wanted us to forget about all of that stuff. You, especially. You lost eight years of your life. I wanted us to move on from all of it." She said as Punk sighed to himself.

"Well I was nervous about them being in town anyway but… now I'm extra nervous. Seems like whenever they're around, I go to prison." Punk turned to AJ who shook her head.

"They're probably on their way back to Puerto Rico." AJ shook her head as Punk sighed to himself.

"I think I need some air." Punk stood up.

"I'll come with you." AJ nodded.

"No, just… I want to be on my own." He said, "And you need to take it easy." He told her.

"Phil, we should talk more about this." AJ stood up.

"There's nothing more to talk about." He shook his head, walking out of the living room and leaving the house as AJ sighed to herself tearfully.


	58. Thinking

**Thinking**

* * *

"What are you two doing here?" Jude groaned, opening up the door where she saw her two sisters standing, "It's late."

"We need to find dad." Thea nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Jude looked at them both.

"There was more to this story with Sam and Daniel." Cassie said, "Dad's gone off and he's not came home. Mom can't go out and look for him so me and Thea said we'd find him."

"He's probably just gone out for some air." Jude shook her head, "This is why this family shouldn't have parties." She said.

"Jude, come on, we need your help." Thea said as Jude looked at them both.

"Mirren might wake up." Jude shook her head.

"Is Sean home?" Thea asked her.

"Well yeah but-"

"Then you can help us." Thea nodded.

"Well are you gonna tell me what's actually happening first?" Jude shook her head.

"Yeah, we will once you get out here." Thea nodded as Jude shook her head.

"You're a pain in my ass." Jude shook her head, walking off back into the house to let Sean know she was going out, grabbing her jacket and stepping outside with her sisters, "Well go on, start talking." She said.

"It's mom's parents." Cassie said.

"What about them?" Jude shook her head.

"Well we know it was them who got mom and dad into trouble when dad went to prison, turns out they were behind the first time he went to prison too." Thea said, "And they were also the ones chasing Sam and Daniel out of town that night." She said as Jude folded her arms.

"This family is so fucked up." Jude rolled her eyes, not even having the energy to be surprised or shocked.

"Mom knew about it all, about her parents behind behind it." Cassie said.

"And she never told dad?" Jude asked as they shook their heads, "Great." She nodded, unenthusiastically, "Why is everyone lying to dad?" She shook her head.

"Now he's wandered off and he's not answering his phone. He said he needed some air and some time on his own but… I'd rather find him." Thea said anxiously.

"Are mom's parents still in town?" Jude wondered.

"We don't know." Cassie shook her head.

"This is so fucked up." Jude said, "I thought mom's parents were just shitty parents, I didn't know they were like Rio."

"Neither did we." Thea said, "Apparently when mom tried setting Rio up all those years ago, her parents found out and warned him, told him to send dad out instead." She said as Jude shook her head.

"But why? Because they don't like dad?" Jude shook her head.

"Probably because of Sam, right?" Cassie said, "And the history with them." She said.

"Ok, let's just… find dad, it's freezing out here." Jude shook her head, hugging her arms around her.

* * *

"Is all that true?" Dean asked, standing in the kitchen with AJ.

"Yes." AJ nodded.

"Why've you kept it to yourself?" Dean asked, "Why didn't you tell him?" He asked.

"Because maybe I didn't wanna believe it myself." AJ said, "I spent so long blaming myself for Phil ending up in prison the first time. And then I find out that it was my mom and dad who made sure it was him who got caught that night." She said, "And that they had beef with Sam and Daniel." She said.

"What's their problem with Phil?" Dean asked, "He loves you. I would have thought that they'd be happy you had somehow taking care of you and… been there for you." He said, "I mean… surely it's not the whole… you're not good enough for our daughter situation considering how awful they are." He said.

"I only assumed it was because of Sam. The beef they had and then here I show up with her son, and I'm having a baby with him… I don't know, I guess it got them mad." AJ shook her head.

"And you found all of this out when? The night Phil was arrested?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." AJ said, "Yeah, well obviously we knew it was their ties to Rio that we were trying to work off through Marina, right?" She said, "So I blamed them, obviously for Phil going to prison and getting caught. I found them and I let them have it. Then they told me all of this and I… I lost it." AJ said, "I… somehow knocked my dad out and almost killed my mom." She shook her head, "I've never been more angry in my life."

"And then my mom came?" Dean asked.

"I didn't know who else to call. Phil was gone and… I don't know, she just seemed like the easiest person to tell." She said.

"What did your parents tell you exactly? Did they mention our dad? Did Sam mention anything about him?" Dean asked.

"No, nothing about him. Or Hamilton." AJ said, "My parents just said they had dealt Sam drugs before, she got heavily involved with them and… she borrowed money that she didn't pay back." AJ explained, "They didn't say anything about what happened that night with Daniel."

"This is so fucked up." Dean shook his head as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, which is exactly why I didn't want to revisit it. Phil was better off not knowing." AJ shook her head.

"Your parents are dangerous people, April." Dean said. He always knew that but, now more than ever, he was gobsmacked by just how much they were tied to involving all of their pasts.

"I know that, Dean. Trust me." AJ said, "I don't think I ever let onto you or Phil how difficult it was being brought up by them. Living amongst everything they were doing." She said, "And then when I found something that made me happy. Someone. All they've ever done is try to ruin it." She shook her head.

"Well someone needs to stop them." Dean said.

"They're probably on their way back to Puerto Rico. They came here because they thought I was dead or… almost dead." AJ said.

"And you're… you're fine with just letting them go about their normal life, after all of this? After everything they've done?"

"Rio was their friend. I should have seen it coming. I should have known." AJ shook her head.

"Why wouldn't he have told us? He liked dropping bombs here and there. Why wouldn't he have said it was your parents idea to send Phil out that night?"

"He was probably protecting them." AJ said, "They were in business together for a while and then… I think they owed him money which Marina then took over and dumped on me and Phil." She said, "I'm a little hazy on all the details but… the one reoccurring theme in all of this is Phil getting hurt." She looked up at him, "And I feel like it's my fault."

"Why?" Dean shook his head, "April, it's not your fault. This is your parents. Who are clearly sick and… and twisted, way more than we thought." He said.

"Maybe I should have known." AJ shook her head.

"How could you have? You left home when you were sixteen and… did your best to avoid them ever since." Dean said.

"I just wish Phil would come home so we can talk about it." AJ sighed.

"The girls will find him and talk to him." Dean nodded, sitting down beside her and wrapping his arm around her as she leaned into him for comfort.

* * *

"I feel uncomfortable being here." Jude sighed to herself, walking along the docks as Cassie turned to her.

"Oh, shit… yeah." Cassie realised, looking at her.

"I don't know why you even need me here." Jude said, "This isn't even anything to do with us. This is mom and dad's business, and their parents business. I don't… I don't want involved in any of it."

"He's still our dad, Jude." Thea said, "We're not getting involved, we're just being there for him." She said.

"Is that him?" Cassie noticed, looking on at their dad who was sat at the end of the boardwalk.

"Yeah." Thea nodded, walking towards the boardwalk and stepping onto it, "Dad." She called as Punk turned around, noticing all three of them.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Punk shook his head with confusion, getting to his feet.

"We were worried." Cassie said, "You're not answering your phone and… well after everything that was said we just wanted to make sure you were ok." She said as Punk nodded with a small smile.

"I'm ok." Punk assured them. It was hard to get his head around any of it. Being as old as he was and finding out certain things in his life, things that had happened, weren't all they seemed, it was difficult to wrap his head around it all.

"Are you sure?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Punk said, "Just trying to wrap my head around it all." He said, "You guys shouldn't have come down here." He said, looking on at Jude who was standing quietly, "You ok?" He asked her.

"Yeah." Jude nodded tiredly, "Yeah, I just wanna get back home." She admitted to them.

"Sorry, I made you come down here." Punk noticed her looking around consciously, "It's… it's quiet and it's a good thinking spot." He said.

"The lights are pretty." Cassie noticed the lit up city as Jude looked around.

"Are you gonna be ok?" Thea asked Punk, "That's a lot of stuff that you thought you were sure of that… has completely different stories to it now." She said.

"Yeah but… the outcome is all the same." Punk shrugged, "I got you girls. I got a happy ending out of it." He nodded as Thea smiled.

"You're lame." Cassie nodded.

"I know." Punk nodded with a small smile.

"What about mom's parents? What are you gonna do?" Thea asked.

"I don't know. Like I said, it doesn't change anything that happened. It's just the stories around it." Punk said, "They're clearly bad, mixed up people who had issues with my parents and got mad that me and your mom got together." He said, "I don't wanna dwell on it too much. I still got my girls, right?" He nodded.

"Yeah." Cassie smiled, wrapping her arm around him as Thea joined in, both hugging him as Punk looked on at Jude.

"Get in here." Punk encouraged as Jude smiled softly, joining in on the group hug.

He had to focus on the fact that this information, this twisted information didn't change the outcome of his life. The things that happened had already happened and couldn't be reversed. He had to be grateful for the family he built with his wife, because that was what he truly cared about. He'd wasted so much time being angry, being frustrated with all the loss and the pain in his life.

"I'm always the one getting squashed." Jude muffled in the middle of the hug.

"You're the middle one, that's why." Thea said, enjoying the embrace. She admired his attitude towards all of this.

"Dad." Jude said.

"Yeah?" Punk looked down.

"I think you've finally started to think before you act." She said as Thea and Cassie chuckled, "Seriously." Jude said. She didn't always remember her father this way. She remembered him being chaotic and impulsive. She now saw a man who knew the good things he had in life and how to keep them safe.

"Aw, he's all grown up." Thea smiled, patting Punk on the head as he chuckled and nodded.

"We're so proud of you." Cassie said as Punk chuckled to himself and nodded.

"Yeah, thanks." Punk smiled to himself, hugging his arms around all three of them, his smile fading as he noticed someone walking along the boardwalk, getting closer as he realised it was AJ's father.

"Brooks." Robert called as the girls turned around.

Punk immediately, stepped in front of them, pulling them behind him as he noticed Robert had a gun.

"What the hell are you doing?" Punk shook his head worriedly.

"You and I have never had the chance to properly talk, have we?" Robert asked, keeping the gun by his side as Punk looked across at him.


	59. Slow Burn Agenda

**Slow Burn Agenda**

* * *

"Let the girls get out of here." Punk nodded, "If you want to talk to me, fine. But let them go." He said.

"No, they can stay." Robert shrugged. He didn't appear angry, his anger seemed passive, like he could snap at any moment and none of them would know when.

Despite everything going on, Punk didn't really know them very well. He'd only had a handful of conversations with them, not very good ones, so he really felt like he was staring on at the unknown.

"What do you want?" Punk shook his head, "What the hell do you want from me?"

"I wanted you gone." Robert nodded truthfully, "I wanted you out of my daughter's life."

"Your daughter?" Punk questioned, "Who you care so much about?" He asked.

"I care about my daughter." Robert said as Punk laughed a little.

"No you don't." Punk said, "If you did you wouldn't be standing across from me, holding a gun. I've spent more years with your daughter than you have. You don't even know her." Punk shook his head, inching towards Robert as Thea grabbed the back of his t-shirt to keep him back discreetly.

"You got her into trouble." Robert said, "Just because I wasn't around doesn't mean I didn't have eyes on what you two got up to." He said, "There were posters of her at the L stops, warning people of her-"

"Are you really telling me that your mad about April making a few mistakes? Young, childish mistakes?" Punk asked, "When you… you raised her in that world."

"She was always kept out of it." Robert shook his head.

"That's not what she tells me. She remembers money lying around, guns, drugs… she remembers it all." Punk said.

"And she wasn't supposed to be get involved with that life. I didn't want her to. And then she met you." Robert said.

"Yeah and I took care of her, which is more than I can say for you and your wife. She was safe with me." Punk said, "You can't possibly come here and tell me that everything you did, you did for April."

"I did." Robert said as Punk shook his head.

"You're insane." Punk said, "All you've done is cause her more pain. I went to prison for eight years because of you-"

"It should have been more." Robert spat, "You should have stayed away the first time you went to prison."

"Well, I guess that was your idea, right?" Punk said, "You heard April was pregnant and got upset about it, wanted to take me out of the equation, expecting her to come running to you for help." He said, "Must have sucked when she chose to stay in an apartment on her own rather than go to you and her mom for help." He nodded.

"You shut up." Robert raised his gun at Punk.

"What's your deal, man? Is it a territory thing? Is someone making you do this?" Punk asked him, "You still mad about things my… my mom and dad did? You mad that April chose me over you? What is it?" Punk asked, "I want you to tell me."

"It's all of it." Robert assured him as Punk looked across at him, "You were supposed to stay in prison." He spat, "You affected the business, my daughter, my family, my friends… it's always been you." He said, "Rio warned me about you."

"Rio?" Punk laughed.

"Yes. A good business man, a good friend of mine who you ruined-"

"And I hope he's burning in hell along with his son." Punk nodded aggressively, "What? You mad I broke all the drug circles up in the city? You mad I made it harder for people to deal? For people like you to take money from people who are lost and confused?" He asked.

"Phil!" Dean yelled, running down the docks with AJ following.

"Oh my God." AJ whispered to herself, looking on at her husband and daughters standing in front of her father, who had a gun, "Dad! Don't." She warned, running past Dean down the boardwalk.

"April, stay away." Robert warned her.

"No, you don't get to point a gun at my family." AJ spat angrily, running down the boardwalk, "Put it down!" She yelled.

"He needs to go." Robert shook his head.

"Why? Haven't you done enough to him over the years?" AJ spat, "Why do you insist on hurting him so much? On hurting me?" She shook her head, "That's my family. Those are my children you're pointing a gun at!" She yelled as Robert looked at the three girls standing behind Punk.

"He screwed everything up. Just like his mother." Robert insisted as Punk looked across.

"He didn't do anything. If anything you should be thanking him for being there for me when you and mom weren't." AJ spat, watching as her father walked towards Punk, "Dad!" AJ tried grabbing him back, not being able to stop him.

Punk watched Robert coming towards him, grabbing the gun out of his hand and wrestling around, knocking into Thea who lost her balance at the edge of the boardwalk, falling off and into the water as Punk and Robert followed next in amongst punching and kicking at one another.

"Oh my God, Thea!" Cassie yelled.

"Dean!" AJ called on Dean for help, running down the rest of the boardwalk as Dean followed.

She watched as her father and Punk came up and out of the water in waves, still fighting for the gun, "Phil! Thea's in there!" AJ warned, "Where is she?!" She asked Cassie and Jude.

"I-I don't know… why hasn't she came back up?" Jude panicked.

"Move out the way." Dean told them, jumping into the water in hopes to get Thea.

Just as he swam under, he heard a loud gunshot through the water.

"Phil!" AJ yelled, crouching down at the end of the boardwalk, having heard a gunshot in the water yet no one was coming to the surface, "Phil!" She screamed, her hands shaking as she looked out with tears running.

"Call the police. Call it now." Jude told Cassie who gulped, nodding as she took her phone out.

"Where is he!?" AJ yelled as Jude placed her hand over her mouth, suddenly watching as her father came up for air, the gun in his hand as he gasped for breath.

"Oh my God." Jude took a deep breath as AJ cried to herself.

"Phil, Thea's in there!" AJ cried as Punk swam over closer to the edge, meanwhile Dean came up for air.

"Her foot is stuck on a rope." Dean gasped as Punk handed the gun over to AJ, "I can't get it off the boat." He panicked as Punk swam over, swimming under the water where Thea was, her ankle stuck to a piece of rope attached to one of the boats, not allowing her to get to the surface for air.

Punk swam down to the rope, trying to untie it from the boat, looking over as he saw Thea, no longer with her eyes open. He grabbed her foot, pulling the rope as hard as he could, finally getting it off as he grabbed her and swam to the surface with her.

"Oh my God." AJ panicked, noticing Thea's eyes were closed, "Phil." She panicked.

"Get her up!" Punk yelled worriedly, swimming over to the edge of the boardwalk as Dean pulled Thea up to the surface, laying her down, "She's not breathing." Punk pulled himself out of the water, budging by everyone as he began CPR on Thea.

AJ placed her hands over her mouth, crouched down beside her daughter as tears ran down her already wet face.

Jude stood beside Dean, turning away in tears as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Come on, Thea!" Punk yelled loudly, continuing CPR on her.

"Thea." AJ whispered desperately as she watched, jumping suddenly as Thea choked out some water, turning onto her side as Punk collapsed down with relief.

Jude turned around quickly, watching as Thea gasped for air with relief.

"Are you ok?" AJ cried, caressing her daughter's shoulder as Thea nodded.

"Is everyone ok?" Punk looked around, his heart beating fast, rubbing Thea's arm softly as he made sure everyone was ok, watching as Cassie came running down the boardwalk, police appearing.

"I hate these fucking docks." Thea groaned as AJ laughed through her tears, leaning down and kissing her cheek, helping her sit up carefully.

"Dude." Dean got Punk's attention, "Where's Robert?" He asked AJ looked over at Punk.

* * *

"How'd you know he was down here?" Punk asked AJ later on that night, standing at the docks amongst all the police. Thea was getting checked over by the EMT's with the aid of her sisters.

"My mom came to the house, told me my dad was out looking for you and I… I had a hunch you'd be here." AJ said, "She said he's been sick for a really long time. Mentally sick." She said.

"He said I ruined everything when I… I've only spoken to the guy a few times." Punk shook his head with confusion.

"I should have told you all about this. I feel stupid. Maybe if I just-"

"No, we're not doing that." Punk said, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she held onto him, "Your dad had his problems with me in his head. Mix that with living on the wrong side of the tracks and… living in a world where Rio is your friend." He rolled his eyes, "It's obviously bad news."

"I feel like it's my fault." AJ sighed, holding him tightly.

"It's not your fault." Punk kissed her head, "This is well overdue shit that we don't need. This is less to do with us and… more to do with our parents and their issues, their past." He said.

"I really thought the worst with Thea." AJ shook her head, looking over at Thea sitting at the back of the ambulance with Cassie and Jude.

"Yeah, she scared me." Punk nodded, taking a deep breath.

"And when I heard that gunshot and I didn't see you." She looked up at him.

"It's ok." He cupped her cheeks, "I was just getting back at you for the coma." He teased as AJ laughed, shaking her head and leaning it against his chest as he smiled, holding her close as he watched them retrieve Robert's body from the water.

AJ turned around, looking over as they placed a sheet over the body, carrying the board down the boardwalk.

"I don't even feel anything." AJ shook her head truthfully as Punk watched them carrying the body away.

Everything still felt fresh and raw, and he felt like some of it would never really make sense, no matter how much time went by. But it was a whole other world which AJ's parents lived in, a world they once lived in and got out. That whole other world was filled with careless people who didn't care, who were selfish, who had their own agendas and their own grudges, no matter who didn't or did understand. The world which someone like Rio could be referred to as a friend. To be on the other side of that was the biggest relief in the world.

"Let's go check on Thea." Punk nodded to her, walking over to the ambulance where the girls were.

"Hey, you ok?" AJ asked Thea who nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ok." Thea said, "You guys?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're ok." Punk assured them, wrapping his arm around Cassie who leaned her head against him. In any situation, the most important thing to him was that his family were safe. The aftermath would follow with the nerves and the worries, the questions and the confusion. But right now he was just glad his family were ok.


	60. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

* * *

"How many hours of sleep did you get?" AJ wondered, lying in bed with Punk the next morning as the sun began to sneak under the bottom of the drapes.

"In total? Two maybe." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, me too." AJ said, "Last night feels like a blur." She admitted as Punk nodded, his arm wrapped around her, holding her in close to him.

"Yeah, it does." Punk nodded, "I'm probably gonna with the cops all day." He said as AJ nodded.

"We'll probably all get pulled in for a statement." AJ nodded, "It's still hard to wrap my head around it all. Even knowing all this time about my parents being involved with yours… I think I kinda just buried it to the back of my head. I had to. You weren't here and… by the time you got out all I wanted to do was move on." She said, "I never thought one day it… it would end like this."

"Why'd you think they waited until now? To come back." Punk said.

"I don't know. I don't know what goes on in their world." AJ shook her head, "My mom just said that my dad had been really sick for the past few years. Consumed by a lot of stuff. She suspected he was taking drugs too. Paranoid all the time." She said.

"He just kept saying that things were my fault." Punk shook his head, "That I was the reason you got in trouble as a kid. That he was trying to keep you away from that life and I wound up bringing you into it." He said as AJ shook her head.

"It's delusional." AJ said, "Rio probably filled his head with all kinds of crap when we were younger." She said.

"But for him to sit on all of that for so long." Punk shook his head with confusion.

"You know all the stories I told you about them. How bad they really were." AJ said as Punk nodded, "They were in deep and… clearly so was your mom and dad. Just… on opposite sides, I guess." She said.

"Where do you think your mom is?" Punk asked her.

"I have no idea. She just appeared last night. Told me that my dad had gone out on a rampage and then I got nervous cause I knew the girls went out looking for you. Me and Dean just split up and started looking-"

"You should be taking it easy." Punk sighed, kissing her forehead, "You're literally just out of hospital." He said unhappily. He was concerned for his wife's well-being. She'd had such a terrible accident and all he wanted was for her to rest herself and relax, but it was hard to do that with so much going on.

"I thought you'd be so mad with me." AJ admitted as he looked down at her, "For not telling you."

"Well I'm not thrilled about it." Punk said, "But… I don't know about you, I'm just sick of all of this. My life is my life because of the things that happened in it, not because of the people who were behind it all." He said, "The important thing to me is that you and the girls and the kids are all ok." He nodded as she kissed his chest. His calmness was keeping her calm.

"What even happened? In the water?" AJ asked him.

"I was just doing everything I could to keep the gun away from me. I didn't take it from him and shoot him. It was bent inwards and the trigger just got pulled." He said.

"Do you think the cops are gonna make it difficult?" AJ asked him.

"I have no idea. I hope not." Punk said, "What else was I supposed to do? He was trying to shoot me." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"You did what anyone would." AJ said, "And I want you to know I don't… I don't hold anything against you. Just because he was my dad. That doesn't matter to me. He never acted like a dad." She said as he nodded.

"I want you to rest all day." Punk said, getting out of bed as AJ watched him, "I'm gonna go make you some breakfast and then I'll head to the station to see what's up." He said, putting on some shorts and t-shirt.

"I can come with you if you want." AJ said.

"No, please… for my sanity. Rest." Punk said, leaning over the bed and kissing her on the lips as she kissed back, "I'm the nurse, remember." He told her as she smiled a little, cupping his face and nodded.

"Ok." She said as he smiled, kissing her again before leaving their bedroom and walking down the hallway.

He paused outside the spare room, opening it up slowly and quietly as he saw Thea lying fast asleep, hugging into James and Sofia who were lying beside her. He smiled to himself, grateful to wake up this morning and seeing her face after the scare they'd gotten last night.

He walked further down the upstairs area, knocking on Cassie's room door, slowly opening it up and noticing she wasn't there. He figured she'd already woken up and headed downstairs.

He made his way down into the kitchen where he only found Dominic.

"Hey." Punk said.

"Morning." Dominic nodded, making breakfast.

"How'd you sleep?" Punk asked him, pouring himself some coffee.

"I didn't." Dominic laughed a little, "Thea didn't fall asleep until like… 6am. She was really shook up." He said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah it was a brutal night." Punk understood.

"Thea filled me in." Dominic nodded.

"Do you know where Cassie is?" Punk asked him.

"Yeah she went to the station at like 5am." Dominic nodded, "I think she wanted to check in on what was going on."

"I thought she might have." Punk said, "I'm gonna take some breakfast up to April and then head there myself." He nodded.

"Well here, I've made plenty to feed the five thousand." Dominic said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Punk chuckled, noticing how much breakfast Dominic had made.

"You think you're in trouble?" Dominic asked him as Punk began plating up some breakfast for AJ.

"I should be ok." Punk nodded, "I… didn't really have a choice, I guess."

"It boggles my mind how anyone could have the ability to set out to kill someone. Especially over something ridiculous as this. It's not even over anything." Dominic shook his head.

"I think the guy was suffering a lot more on the inside than the outside." Punk said, "When you live in that world, it starts taking over you. I've been there. It controls you in every part of your life." Punk nodded. He could still remember the way he lost himself when he was nineteen, "Plus, he was friends with Rio, and on top of that some history with my parents… I don't know, maybe I was just an easy target. Maybe it just comes down to that." Punk shrugged.

"I'm glad you're ok." Dominic nodded sincerely.

"Yeah, me too." Punk sighed to himself.

"How is April?" Dominic asked.

"She's ok. I think she's kinda confused, shocked by it all. And she really needs to take it easy." Punk said as Dominic nodded.

"We're not going anywhere today so I'm sure Thea will make sure she's doing as she's told." Dominic smiled as Punk nodded.

* * *

Punk soon left the house and headed to the station, walking on in where he met Cassie at the front desk.

"Hey, I was just gonna call you." Cassie said, "Jake wants to take your statement." She said.

"Have you been here all morning?" Punk asked her as Cassie nodded.

"I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd just come here. I'm supposed to officially start duty tomorrow but… why not break me in early?" She shrugged as Punk smiled, rubbing her shoulder softly, "How's mom and Thea?" She asked.

"Mom is under strict rules of resting." Punk said, "She's doing ok. Still shocked, I guess." He said, "I haven't spoken to Thea yet but Dominic said she was shook up." He said as Cassie nodded, "I called Jude but she never answered."

"Yeah, I tried calling her this morning but I got nothing." Cassie said, noticing her father's eyes were going beyond her, turning around and watching as AJ's mother came out from one of the side doors, spotting Punk and immediately running towards him.

"You bastard!" Janet screamed, slapping Punk across the face, grabbing at his t-shirt hysterically as Cassie grabbed her back.

"Ok ok." Cassie nodded, "Just back up." She warned, holding Janet back.

"You killed my husband!" Janet yelled as Punk looked across at her, rubbing his cheek, choosing not to say anything.

Cassie got help from a few other cops to calm Janet down and escort her into a different part of the building, returning back to the front desk where her father was.

"You ok?" Cassie asked him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, fine." Punk nodded, "Who am I speaking to?" He asked.

"Jake. I spoke to him this morning, broke things down for him the best I could and… you should be ok." Cassie said as Punk nodded, "You got any idea what happens next? Do you talk to Sam and Daniel? What about Hamilton?" Cassie asked.

"He's not here, is he?" Punk asked.

"No, I don't think so." Cassie said.

"I'll need to talk to Dean about it. Right now I just want to get this cleared up and… I wanna be there for your mom, Cass. That's all I wanted to do. I wanted to take her home and look after her." He shook his head, feeling hard on himself due to not being able to care for AJ as much as he wanted to, especially last night on her homecoming.

"Don't be hard on yourself, dad. This isn't your fault. I mean it sounds more like these issues are between… were between your parents and mom's parents. Just… we all got dragged into it, like usual." Cassie said, "This isn't anyone's fault. It's actually kinda sad what happened last night. I can't imagine how mom feels about it." She shook her head.

"Yeah, she's still pretty shaken up." Punk nodded, "I just wanna get this over with and go be there for her." He said as Cassie nodded.

"It shouldn't take too long." Cassie assured him, "Come on, I'll take you to one of the rooms." She said as Punk nodded with a small smile.

"Look at you, going all cop on me." He smiled, nudging her as she walked in front of him with a small smile.

* * *

"Hey, Jude." Sean hummed, "You fancy going out for some breakfast?" Sean asked from the bathroom in their bedroom, walking out with a towel wrapped around his waist, pausing as he saw Jude fast asleep in their bed with Mirren asleep beside her amongst a makeshift pillow fort.

He walked over to the side of the bed, smiling softly as he tucked a strand of hair away from Jude's face. He knew she'd had a chaotic night last night, but since coming home from having Mirren, he felt like he'd only really seen her sleeping or sitting with Mirren in her arms. He was extremely concerned for her.

He looked over at Mirren who was fast asleep in all her tiny glory, the most precious thing to come into both of their lives, and yet he couldn't settle knowing the way Jude had been the past week.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching over for his phone and looking up postpartum depression.

* * *

**A/N: Lots more to come guys! Thanks for being awesome and supporting!**


	61. Confrontation

**Confrontation**

* * *

"How are you feeling?" AJ asked Thea, wandering into the living room with a coffee.

"I'm ok, I guess." Thea nodded to her, watching as she sat down beside her, "How are you? How's the head?" She asked.

"It's a little sore." AJ nodded.

"Maybe you should be in bed." Thea said.

"No, I… I spent an entire week lying in bed in hospital." AJ shook her head, "This is fine." She assured her daughter, "Where are Dominic and the kids?" She asked.

"He took the kids out for some ice-cream. I didn't want them stuck in here all day." Thea shook her head, "We're supposed to have had all our stuff moved out from Milwaukee by tomorrow." She sighed stressfully, "We're gonna need to talk to the realtor." She said.

"I'm sure they'll understand." AJ said.

"Do you think dad is in trouble?" Thea turned to her.

"I don't know." AJ shook her head truthfully, "Cassie's there with him right now. It wasn't… it wasn't his fault. He did what he had to do." She said as Thea nodded, looking at her.

"Does it hurt? Losing your dad?" Thea asked her as AJ shook her head.

"No… no, he wasn't a dad to me." AJ shook her head.

"Why hold that kind of grudge for this long?" Thea asked.

"I think he was sick." AJ said, "I guess when you live in that world for as long as my parents have. You do the things you do, see the things you see… it can build up." She said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"But he said that he was trying to protect your from all of that. And that dad was to blame." Thea shook her head, "But how was he protecting you from it if… if that's what you grew up around?"

"I don't know." AJ shook her head truthfully, "I mean maybe… maybe it's guilt. Maybe it's guilt of not being a good dad, of hurting me over the years, so he's trying to shift it into your father." She shrugged.

"Do you think dad is gonna talk to Sam and Daniel?" Thea asked her.

"Maybe. But I think your dad is pretty tired of it all." AJ nodded truthfully, "Whatever he decides to do I… I fully support it." She said, "Whether it's talking to them or not."

"I think he should." Thea said, "Even if it's just to clear things up. It's obvious that your parents and his parents had some stuff going on years ago." She said, "It's… it's kinda weird that you and dad wound up together." She smiled a little, "You think that's what bothered your dad so much?"

"Probably." AJ nodded, "Well he made sure your dad went to prison the first time because he found out I was pregnant." She shook her head.

"You two are like a… a modern day Romeo and Juliet." Thea said as AJ chuckled a little.

"You know they kill themselves at the end, right?" AJ raised her eyebrows.

"No, I didn't. I skipped English class to go get high." Thea nodded truthfully as AJ laughed a little.

"You're an idiot." AJ added as Thea smiled.

"I was gonna take Jude out this morning for coffee." Thea said, rolling her head back on the couch, "I wanted to get her out of the house for a while. Last night was the first time she was out since having the baby." She said as AJ turned to her.

"Is she ok?" AJ asked with concern.

"I don't know. I think she might be struggling a little bit." Thea nodded, "Sean's worried about her."

"Well we should go see her." AJ said immediately.

"No, mom… you need to rest." Thea warned, "You were in a terrible car accident. Be kind to yourself for a little bit." She nodded.

"Well if Jude's struggling, I want to help her-"

"I think it's just a little overwhelming for her, that's all. You know what it's like when you have your first kid. It's scary. You don't know what you're doing. You're tired all the time." Thea said, "I think she's just trying to adjust to it all." She nodded.

* * *

"Hey, how's she doing?" Sean smiled, walking into the kitchen where Jude was sitting feeding Mirren at the table.

"She's fine." Jude smiled, looking down at Mirren, "She's perfect." She added as Sean smiled.

"How'd you sleep?" Sean asked, leaning in and kissing Jude as she kissed back.

"Ok, I guess." Jude nodded, "It was a crazy night last night." She shook her head, "I swear those docks bring nothing but chaos to my family."

"Yeah, I don't see you going down there voluntarily anymore." Sean said as Jude shook her head.

"Definitely not." Jude shook her head, "Are you going somewhere?" She wondered, noticing he had going out clothes on, rather than casual shorts and t-shirt.

"Well I brought the stroller downstairs, I thought maybe we could test it out." Sean nodded, "It's cold outside but… I distinctly remember you buying a shit ton of hats for her." He smiled, "Fresh air will do her some good."

"I uh… I'm not really feeling up to it." Jude shook her head.

"Why not?" Sean asked, "Just for half an hour or something. Come on, don't you want people to stop and tell us how cute she is?" He smiled.

"Not really." Jude laughed a little, looking down at Mirren, "She needs to go down after this anyway so…" She shrugged.

"She can sleep in the stroller, Jude." Sean reminded her.

"Look, I had a shit night last night, I just wanna… sit on the couch and put her down in her crib. I don't need to go for a walk." She shook her head.

"I disagree, I think you do, actually." Sean said as Jude looked up at him.

"What is your frickin problem?" Jude shook her head, "I'm tired, I've barely slept, I just… I just wanna chill out-"

"You've not left the house with her since you gave birth, Jude." Sean said as she looked up at him, "The health visitor is coming tomorrow, that's concerning for them."

"Why? Because I don't wanna go for a walk?" Jude shook her head with confusion.

"No, because you don't wanna do anything." Sean said, "I know this is overwhelming, and it's not anything we're used to, but I'm worried about you. You're barely even talking to me." He said.

"I'm still trying to figure all of this out. Give me a break." Jude shook her head.

"We're figuring it out together.." Sean said, "Or so we're supposed to be." She said as Jude ignored him, looking down at Mirren, "Postpartum depression is common in new mother's." He said as she looked up at him.

"Excuse me?" Jude tilted her head a little.

"I… I looked into it. It's extremely common. And it's nothing you should be ashamed of-"

"I am not depressed." Jude stood up angrily, "I'm tired." She said as he looked across at her, "Just because I don't wanna go for a walk doesn't mean I have postpartum depression, Sean. It just means I don't wanna go for a walk." She shook her head, leaving the kitchen with Mirren as Sean sighed to himself, running his hands through his hair.

* * *

"Hey, man. How'd it go?" Dean asked, showing up at the station as Punk walked out from a long interview with Jake.

"Just sort of going over everything." Punk nodded, "Cassie's in there working her ass off. I also had April's mom slap me this morning. I think she moved one of my teeth at the back."

"You can't afford to lose anymore teeth, brother." Dean sighed as Punk pushed him over, "You free to go?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah they're gonna stay in contact. They might want some statements from Thea, Ape, Jude… everyone who was there." Punk nodded.

"But you reckon it's not gonna get you into any trouble?" Dean asked.

"I should be ok." Punk nodded, "He would have killed me if I didn't do anything to stop him." Punk said as Dean nodded.

"I don't suppose you being in that room all day has worked up an appetite for confrontation?" Dena folded his arms as Punk looked at him.

"Who are we confronting?" Punk asked him.

* * *

"I'll see you later, Rico!" Hamilton called, leaving his local bar as he walked out the doors, fixing his hat on his head as he stepped down, watching as a cigarette was pressed against his jacket, "Who the-" He looked up and saw Dean standing.

"Hello." Dean smiled as Hamilton scoffed, shaking his head and turning around only to bump into Punk.

"Hey." Punk smiled.

"What do you two idiots want?" Hamilton scoffed, walking his way around them in order to leave as Punk grabbed him back by the back of his jacket.

"Just to talk to our uncle, that's all." Dean said as Hamilton paused, turning around to both of them.

"What are you talking about?" Hamilton looked at them both.

"We're talking about you being our uncle." Punk said, "Uncle Greg. Has a nice ring to it, right?" He turned to Dean who nodded.

"Alright, Brooks cut the crap." Hamilton warned, "How… How did you find out?" He looked at them both.

"We've been finding out a lot recently." Dean said, "We know all about the night our dad was arrested."

"For killing a girl? Yeah? What's there to know?" Hamilton shook his head.

"Well we know it wasn't him who was driving." Punk said, "It was our mom. We know we were there." He said as Hamilton looked at them nervously, "And we know you signed off on the case so… explain to us why our dad got arrested that night and our mom went free?"

"I'm not in the mood for any of this." Hamilton scoffed nervously, turning around to walk away as Punk pulled him back.

"Don't make me beat up my crippled old uncle." Punk frowned, "What happened?" He spat as Hamilton stood between them, looking at them both.

"Well what do you think happened?" Hamilton spat, "Your dad didn't want your mom to go to prison. I knew it was her who was driving because I… I'd not long spoken to them and I saw her get behind the wheel." He said.

"He's your brother. Why would you put him in prison?" Punk questioned.

"He didn't want Sam to go down for it. I tried to convince him that it would… it would be bad news. It would be a life sentence but… but he didn't want her to go down." Hamilton said, "So I… I did what he asked."

"And then you watched our mother take us back home where she… she wasn't fit to look after us?" Dean asked.

"I tried getting you boys out of there. Multiple times." Hamilton made clear, "I even… I even looked into adopting you." He said as they looked at him, "But you always ran away and… wound up back at the house. I remember you both telling me when you were eight and nine that… that you had to stay with your mom." He said, "She wasn't around but you guys cared about her." He nodded as Punk looked down, turning to Dean who didn't say anything.

"Ok so… what about after? What about you constantly harassing us as teens? What about you shouting to April and Thea that they should go where they came from?" Punk spat angrily as Hamilton looked down.

"I'm not proud of… of the type of cop I became." Hamilton assured them both, "It ran away with me and there's no excuses." He said, "When I saw you hanging around with Mendez I… well I knew her family from back in the day, I knew they were trouble and I figured you'd wound up involved with them and… and I was right. You were both trouble, don't pretend you weren't." He said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dean asked, "Why didn't you tell us you were our uncle?" He shook his head.

"Because… I don't know, I… I felt like it was too late." Hamilton said, "I didn't get on with your dad. He was trouble just like you two. I always tried to do the right thing and he didn't." He said, "And I was sad about how our relationship diminished and… how his life pretty much got taken away from him." He said, "I don't know, it was… it was hard to see you boys."

"You talked to him lately?" Punk asked.

"No I haven't spoken to him since way back, when he was arrested." Hamilton said as Punk looked at him, turning to Dean.

"You could have looked out for us, man." Dean shook his head as Hamilton looked at both of them.

"I know that now." Hamilton said.

"Yeah well… too late." Punk said, "Way too fucking late." He shook his head, turning to Dean who nodded.

"Let's go." Dean nodded, walking past Hamilton as Punk followed, heading down the street as Hamilton sighed to himself.


	62. Bedtime Stories

**Bedtime Stories**

* * *

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Punk asked, getting home and spotting James and Sofia up to some mischievous at the bottom of the stairs.

"We're kicking toilet rolls upstairs." James explained as Punk nodded slowly.

"Right." Punk said, "Having fun?" He assumed.

"Yes!" Sofia yelled excitedly as Punk chuckled.

"Something smells good in here." Punk noticed.

"Mommy's making dinner." Sofia told him.

"Great. What burnt items will I be trying tonight then?" Punk wondered, messing Sofia's hair sweetly as she smiled, watching as he walked off down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"Hey, you're back." AJ smiled tiredly, getting up from the table, walking over to him and giving him a hug.

"And you're out of bed." Punk said unhappily, kissing her head.

"I've actually been resting all day." AJ promised, "Thea and Dominic have been taking good care of me." She said.

"By serving you burnt food?" Punk asked, looking over at Thea who had many pots and pans on the go at the stove.

"Shut up or you'll be wearing your dinner." Thea promised as Punk smiled.

"She's stress cooking." Dominic nodded.

"No, I'm not." Thea defended, "I don't stress cook."

"Yes you do." Dominic laughed, "You're cooking like five dinners right now." He noted.

"I'm just… giving everyone some choice." Thea shrugged.

"You guys are aware your kids are… throwing toilet rolls up the stairs, right?" Punk asked them.

"Yeah." Dominic and Thea both replied.

"Ok." Punk nodded to himself.

"How'd it go with the cops?" AJ asked.

"It was fine. They just asked me everything, went over it all in detail. I… I don't think I'm in any kind of alarming trouble." He said, "They might wanna take a statement from you guys, Jake said he'd be in touch." He nodded, "Oh and your mom was there when I got there. Slapped me on the face." He said.

"Oh, God." AJ groaned.

"Is Cassie still down there?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, she said she'd stay late and do as much as she can." Punk nodded, "Me and Dean also spoke to Hamilton tonight."

"You did?" AJ raised her eyebrows.

"Really?" Thea turned around.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "We knew we weren't gonna get anything out of it. It's way too late for that and he's… he's never had our best interest at heart."

"He's also a racist pig." AJ mumbled to herself.

"And that too." Punk nodded, "We just kinda called him out for not doing more for us when he could have. If it was any constellation, he did look pretty hard on himself but… as he should be." Punk said.

"So… there's not gonna be any relationship with him then?" Dominic figured.

"No, definitely not." Punk shook his head, "Family isn't blood. It's.. it's this. It's being together, helping each other, being there for one another." He said as AJ nodded in agreement.

"So what about your dad? And Sam?" Thea asked him.

"I don't know about them yet." Punk said, "Me and Dean haven't really talked about it yet." He said, "Has anyone spoken to Jude today?" He wondered.

"I text her but I got nothing back." Thea said, "I was supposed to be dragging her out for a coffee this morning but… I didn't wake up until later and I figured after last night we could all just use a day on the couch." She said, "Dominic also sorted things out with the realtor."

"I bargained and got another week to move out. They weren't happy about it but… I put on my mean voice." Dominic said as Thea smiled.

"Well that's good. I can come down and help you guys pack things up." Punk nodded.

"I wanna go see Jude tomorrow." AJ nodded to Punk, taking his hand, "I wanna visit."

"Babe, you shouldn't be out and about." Punk said, "You've literally just gotten out of hospital-"

"I'd like to see my daughter and granddaughter." AJ said firmly.

"I think she's actually got a visit from the health visitor tomorrow." Thea said.

"Well we can stop by tomorrow night." AJ said, "I want to see her." She said as Punk nodded.

"Ok." Punk nodded, rubbing her back softly, walking over to the stove and watching Thea.

"Can you get out of my space, please?" Thea asked him.

"Why have you made so much food?" Punk shook his head, chuckling.

"Stress cooking." Dominic hummed as AJ smiled.

"It's not stress cooking." Thea snapped, "There's a lot of us here. And Cassie is gonna be hungry when she gets home."

"Cassie is one person, though." Punk chuckled.

"Just get out of my kitchen, dad." Thea warned with a wooden spoon as Punk chuckled, putting his hands up and backing off.

* * *

"Hey." Sean walked into their bedroom, looking on at Jude who was sitting up in bed not doing anything. He was used to his fiancé being so hyperactive. She always had to be doing something, so this was alarming to him. He understood the exhaustion of having a baby, especially for her, but he just knew she was distant. He'd been with her for long enough to know when she wasn't herself.

"Hey." Jude nodded.

"I went to the store. I'm gonna make some dinner." He said as Jude nodded, "Gonna make your favourite." He smiled.

"I'm not even that hungry." She admitted truthfully.

"You gotta eat, Jude." Sean said, "You need your energy, now more than ever." He smiled.

"Yeah, I know." Jude said, "I just… I don't know, I just feel drained." She said.

"Why don't I run you a bath?" Sean asked, "You can relax, maybe light a few candles." He smirked as she smiled.

"I'm ok here for now." Jude nodded to him as he looked across at her.

"Jude, I'm worried about you." He nodded. He didn't have to tiptoe around her, he liked to think they had a good relationship where he could tell her how he was feeling and tell her his concerns.

"Why?" Jude shook her head, looking up at him, "This is… this is what happens when you have a baby, right? You lose sense of time for a little while, you lay in bed and sleep all day, you… feel like crying sometimes…" She whispered as Sean sighed, walking over to the bed.

"That's not how it's supposed to be." Sean shook his head, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "I guarantee you're not the only one to feel like this after having a baby."

"I don't even know what the feeling is. I just… don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing. Even when she's sleeping I feel… nervous about something. It's just this feeling in my stomach." She shook her head as he nodded.

"It's ok, I'll help you through it." Sean assured.

"I'm just trying not to ruin this for us or… for you." Jude shook her head, "It's supposed to be this great time and I'm supposed to be overjoyed and I…" She sighed to herself, trying to hold her tears back, "I feel like a bad mom for not feeling like that." She cried, drying her tears under her eyes.

"Hey, don't do that." Sean sighed, sitting down beside her on the bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she leaned her head on his, "You're not gonna feel like this forever. And you could… you could never ruin this for me." He shook his head, "And you are not a bad mom." He made clear, "You're already smashing it out the park." He assured her.

"I just thought I'd feel different." Jude admitted, "And everyone is expecting me to… do all these things. Go out, go visiting, and all I wanna do is… stay under these covers." She sighed to herself.

"Everyone deals with things differently." Sean nodded, "Having a baby isn't all sunshine and rainbows for everyone. It's tough and… it's exhausting, and it's new to us." He said, "And you don't have to live up to anyone's expectations. You take things your own way." He assured her.

"I just feel like she deserves better than me." Jude sighed.

"Don't talk like that." Sean shook his head, "You're amazing, and she's so lucky to have you as her mom." He nodded, "Cause her mom is a badass." He said as Jude smiled to herself.

"Or she's just… a victim of something." Jude said.

"No, she's not." Sean looked down at her as she looked up at him.

"She feels like it." Jude nodded, leaning her head back down on his shoulder.

"You're a lot stronger than you think, Jude." He told her, kissing her head, "You just need a little bit of help right now, and we'll get you it." He nodded as Jude sighed to herself.

* * *

"Papa Punk." Sofia called, walking into the spare bedroom in her pyjamas, "Will you tell us a bedtime story?" She asked, climbing up into bed where her brother was already waiting.

"Don't you want your mommy or daddy to tell you a story?" Punk asked her.

"No, we want you to tell us a story." Sofia said as James nodded in agreement.

"Hey, guys. Are teeth brushed?" Thea asked, walking into the spare bedroom.

"Yes." Sofia answered.

"Yeah, I brushed mine before Sofia." James smiled as Sofia folded her arms.

"I almost forgot." Sofia admitted as Thea smiled, "Papa Punk is telling us a bedtime story." She told her mother.

"Oh, he is?" Thea chuckled, walking around the bed to kiss her children goodnight.

"Apparently." Punk laughed a little, "You gotta find me one of your books to read then." He said.

"No, a story from your brain." James said as Sofia nodded.

"Yeah, we don't do book bedtime stories." Thea explained to her father, "This way, they have fun and… I also have fun with it."

"I dread to know what kind of stories you're telling them." Punk scoffed.

"Hey, I'm an excellent storyteller." Thea said as Sofia and James looked up at her with uncertainty, "What? I am."

"Daddy might be better." James admitted as Thea scoffed, turning to Punk who just chuckled to himself.

"You guys are lucky you're cute." Thea hummed, leaning over and kissing their heads, "Goodnight, babies." She smiled, brushing James' hair back, folding her arms as she walked back around the bed, "Nothing too scary." She warned her father seriously, pointing her finger at him as Punk slapped it away lightly.

"Get out, it's storytime." Punk warned her as Thea smiled, leaving the bedroom and closing the door half shut behind her.

"You have to sit in the middle." James told Punk as he and Sofia budged to opposite sides of the bed. Punk climbed onto the bed, sitting between them.

"I really got to make it up?" Punk asked, looking down at them as they nodded.

"Yes and hurry up." Sofia said, fearing she was going to fall asleep soon.

"Alright alright." Punk tried to think to himself, "Ok… can I talk about goblins and monsters?"

"Yeah." James nodded.

"But also princesses." Sofia nodded as Punk thought to himself.

"Ok." Punk said, "So there's a princess… and she lives on a boat with her… goblin husband." He nodded.

"Cool." James smiled.

"That's not right." Sofia sat up with concern, "Princesses marry princes." She explained.

"Not in this story." Punk shook his head, "They live on a boat, right? And they're travelling out to sea. Let's call the princess-"

"Pebbles!" Sofia exclaimed.

"Ok." Punk nodded, "Ok, Princess Pebbles and her husband, the goblin… they're sailing out to sea on a big boat. They're going on vacation. To the Bahamas. Right?" Punk said as they both nodded, "So they're travelling along, enjoying the sea breeze, Pebbles is getting some tan going on, but then the goblin spots another boat in the distance. A big one just like theirs."

"Who is on it?" James asked.

"Well they get closer to it and they see a shit ton of…" He paused, "Don't tell your mom I just said that." He warned as they nodded, "They see a ton of… pirates." He said dramatically as Sofia huffed.

"I don't like pirates." Sofia said.

"The pirates boat gets closer to them and one of the pirates says… argg, we want your boat." He put on his best pirate voice.

"Does the pirate have a missing tooth like you?!" Sofia cheered as Punk raised a brow.

"No… no, all his teeth are intact." Punk assured her, "But… he is missing some toes." He nodded to them, "Fishing accident." He nodded to James.

"That's gross." Sofia said.

"Anyway, the pirates want the boat from Pebbles and the goblin, because it's bigger, it's a better boat. The goblin says, but where will we go?" He said, in his best made-up goblin voice, or what he assumed a goblin would sound like, "And the pirate says, arggg… you'll have to swim back to shore." He said.

"Oh, no." Sofia frowned.

"The goblin starts to panic and cry. He says, but I can't swim." Punk mimicked, "I'll drown." He continued, "The pirates all laugh. They make fun of the goblin. They say, you can't swim because you're ugly." He nodded as Sofia frowned.

"Poor goblin." Sofia mumbled, cuddling into him.

"The goblin says, how about a fight? I can't swim but I can fight. If I fight all of you, you can't take our boat." Punk said, looking down at them, noticing Sofia was beginning to fall asleep, "Meanwhile Pebbles has got her hands on some rope. Now before she became a princess, she spent some time on the farm with horses so… she knows how to do some reigning in." He added

"She's a cool princess." James said, followed by a yawn.

"She lasso's the pirates up one by one, pulling them overboard from their boat and into the sea. The goblin cheers and claps. He's used to his princess always saving him from danger." He added.

"What happens to the pirates?" James asked.

"Well the goblin and Pebbles start to tie the two boats together whilst the pirates are in the sea. They take the two boats and just as they're sailing away, a huge, gigantic, scary… sea monster!" He exclaimed as Sofia woke back up with raised eyebrows, "Gobbles up all the pirates for dinner." He nodded.

"But they didn't eat the goblin and Pebbles?" James asked.

"No, apparently the goblin and Pebbles have their deep sea connections out in the ocean." Punk nodded, looking down at Sofia who had fallen back asleep, noticing James getting sleepy too, "So, the goblin thanks his wife for always having his back, and for being a badass, and they celebrate by continuing on their route to their vacation." He nodded, looking down as James sleepily nodded.

"Were they bad pirates?" James clarified.

"Yeah, super bad." Punk nodded, turning to Sofia who was fast asleep, "Stay tuned for part two." He smiled, leaning down and kissing James' head, climbing off the bed, watching as James fell asleep.

He pulled the covers up and over both of them, smiling to himself and heading out of the bedroom, jumping out of his skin when he saw Thea standing.

"Goblins, princess', pirates and sea monsters?" Thea questioned, "And the Bahamas?"

"You enjoy that story?" Punk asked her childishly, "Huh?"

"For a first attempt? You did ok, yeah." Thea nodded as Punk smiled, heading downstairs with her.

"Hey, can you stop talking about my missing tooth to your kids, please?" Punk asked as Thea laughed loudly as she headed downstairs behind him.


	63. Denial

**Denial**

* * *

"Do you think she knows we're coming?" AJ asked Punk, getting out the car outside of Jude and Sean's house.

"Well I thought you had text?" Punk asked her, locking the car over and heading down the path.

"I did but she never replied." AJ said, "Hopefully the health visitor has been already. I don't wanna intrude or anything." She said as Punk nodded, knocking on the front door and waiting.

"Let's not stay too long. You're supposed to be resting." Punk said, "You're being a bad patient." He tutted.

"Or you're being a bad nurse." AJ objected as he shook his head, "I just want to see my daughter and granddaughter, ok? I've barely saw them what with being in hospital and Jude being here." She said, "I wish I could have helped her more." She sighed just as Sean came to the door.

"Oh, hey guys." Sean smiled tiredly as Punk and AJ walked into the house, "How are you doing, April?" He asked, giving her a hug as AJ smiled.

"I'm doing ok." AJ assured him, "What about you? You look a little tired." She noticed.

"Well… life with a new-born I guess." Sean smiled, "Jude is actually asleep right now. The health visitor hasn't long gone and she was exhausted so I told her to go shut her eyes for a couple hours."

"Oh." AJ frowned, "I was hoping to see her." She said, walking through to the kitchen with Punk.

"How'd it go with the health visitor?" Punk asked Sean.

"Not the best." Sean said, "I don't know if Jude would want me to be telling you but… well you're her parents." He said, "The health visitor told her that she's suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety." He nodded, "Which… I kinda figured anyway." He said as AJ sighed to herself.

"What's been going on?" Punk asked.

"She doesn't wanna leave the house." Sean said, "I can't even get her to just go out for breakfast or go for a quick walk." He said, "She's barely eating, she's sleeping all the time, she doesn't wanna talk about it much." He said.

"Is she… is she spending time with Mirren?" AJ asked sadly, fearful that her daughter was struggling to take to motherhood.

"Yeah, yeah she's… she's amazing with her. And when she's feeding her and holding her, that's when I can see her smiling and… and she seems happy." Sean nodded, "It's just in between all of that."

"What did she say when the health visitor told it was postpartum depression?" Punk asked.

"I think she's trying to pretend that it's not. I think she's offended by it." Sean said.

"She needs to get out of this house." AJ sighed to herself as Sean nodded.

"I know but I can't… I can't force her." Sean said, "I've tried my hardest to get her out, even if it's just for a little while but she's… she's just finding it tough." He nodded.

"We'll get her help." Punk assured him, noticing how helpless he looked, "It's not always gonna be like this. She's just struggling. It's common, right?" He turned to AJ.

"Of course it is." AJ nodded, "I had it when I had Thea. It was like a… constant feeling of dread and unhappiness and… I used to hate myself for it because I thought it made me look like a bad mom but… it wasn't anything to do with her or my love for her." AJ shook her head as Sean nodded. He needed some encouraging words right now, it was tough seeing his fiancé in this difficult place.

"What did the health visitor suggest?" Punk asked.

"Well she gave Jude a little booklet with some tips on what can help. She also talked about referring Jude to the hospital to talk to someone and maybe speak about medication if things… continue the way they are." Sean said, "But Jude being Jude threw the booklet in the trash and also said that she's not taking any medication so…" Sean shrugged.

"I think I should go talk to her." AJ nodded.

"She might not be sleeping." Sean said as AJ nodded.

"I'll go see." AJ said, wandering out of the kitchen and heading upstairs whilst Punk stayed with Sean.

"She was talking with me about it all, she was… she was opening up to me about how she felt and then she shut down again. It was like she didn't wanna hear it from another person." Sean said.

"It can be a difficult time having a baby, learning how to adapt. Your whole world basically changes overnight." Punk said, "It can be scary and daunting."

"I just hate that she thinks she's a bad mom for feeling like this." Sean shook his head.

"She's not gonna feel like that forever. We'll help her. We'll get her out of the house and get her talking-"

"You guys have enough on your plate. Especially April. Is she even supposed to be out and about like this?" Sean asked.

"Not really but she desperately wanted to come visit Jude and Mirren. And you of course." Punk added as Sean smiled.

"I just feel really useless right now. I hate that I can never help her properly. I can't make things go away for her or fix things." He sighed to himself, "It's the worst."

"Hey, you're there for her day and night and that's all anyone could ask for. She knows she's got you to lean on and that's half the battle." Punk said, "Becoming a parent is different for everyone." He said, "I remember when I first saw Thea. The first time I held her and fed her. I just felt like I wasn't doing anything right but I was, I was just conscious of doing my best." Punk said, "But with time you realise that not everything is gonna be perfect. But that's how you learn." He nodded.

"Yeah I'm learning a whole lot." Sean sighed to himself, "You want some coffee?" Sean asked.

"You sit down, I'll make it." Punk assured him.

Meanwhile AJ had made her way upstairs, walking into her daughter's bedroom quietly where she found Jude wide awake lying in bed in some sweats and a large hoodie.

"Hey." AJ said quietly as Jude looked over at her.

"Did Sean call you?" Jude questioned defensively.

"No… no, me and your dad were just coming to see how you guys are, that's all." AJ smiled, "Felt like I haven't see you in years." She teased.

"You saw me at the docks a coupe nights ago." Jude said.

"Yeah well… that was under different circumstances." AJ said.

"How's your head?" Jude asked her.

"It's fine." AJ nodded as Jude sat up, leaning against the headboard and tucking her knees up.

"You had a brain injury, mom. You're not fine." Jude shook her head.

"Well I'm healing then." AJ corrected, "Got lots of pain meds, got your dad running around after me." She smiled, "I'm doing just fine." She assured her, "How are you doing?" She asked, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge, "I'm sorry I haven't been around as much as I… I should have been." She sighed, rubbing her arm softly.

"Mom, you don't have to apologise." Jude shook her head, "I'm fine." She nodded.

"Are you?" AJ asked her, "Because you know that it's ok if you're not. In fact, it's completely normal." She assured her.

"What has Sean been saying to you?" Jude sighed. She did her best in life to always try and handle situations on her own. She'd been that way since she was a child, AJ would testify to it. She had to do everything for herself. But sometimes, in these cases, that wasn't enough.

"Nothing that isn't true." AJ said, "It's ok if you're finding this tough and you… you're not feeling good." She nodded, "I felt the same when I had Thea-"

"Yeah, that's cause you were a single mom living in a crackhead apartment block with dad in prison. I'd be depressed about that too." Jude nodded as AJ looked across at her.

"Depression isn't a circumstantial thing and you know it." AJ warned her, "You have to look after yourself right now, Jude. You're clearly not in a good place mentally and you need to surround yourself with family and friends."

"No, I need for people to stop telling me what I need." Jude corrected, "Is this the only reason you came to see me? Because you think I'm screwing things up?"

"I never said that, Jude." AJ shook her head, "I just came to see how you are, and to see my granddaughter." She said, "Tons of new mom's feel like this. It's ok. But you gotta help yourself, sleeping the days away and hiding in your bedroom isn't gonna help." She nodded, "You need to get out of the house."

"God, what is everyone's obsession with me getting out of here? I've just had a baby. I don't wanna go strolling around the park. I'm still in pain and uncomfortable."

"I know but that's… that's all normal and being active might take your mind off it." AJ nodded.

"You don't understand." Jude shook her head childishly.

"Jude, I've had three kids, I do understand." AJ reminded her seriously, "Maybe… Maybe you need some medication, or some therapy-"

"I am not taking any medication." Jude said seriously, "And I am sick and tired of therapy and… and telling people how sick of myself I am, and how shit I feel." She shook her head, placing her hand over her eyes and sighing to herself.

"Jude, baby, look at me." AJ took her hand as Jude put her hand down from her forehead and looked at her, "You will get through this. And don't you dare think that what you're feeling has anything to do with your ability to be a good mom. You're doing amazing. Sean says you're great with Mirren."

"Yeah well she deserves better than this." Jude shook her head.

"No… no, she is the luckiest girl ever to have a mom like you. So brave and strong-"

"I get it. I was raped. You don't have to tell me how strong I am just cause I chose to… keep going with my life instead offing myself." Jude shook her head, throwing her mother's hand away and getting off the bed.

"Jude." AJ sighed.

"No, I'm sick to death of people telling me how strong they think I am when I never, ever feel like it." Jude shook her head.

"Ok, just… just calm down." AJ stood up.

"Can you please just leave?" Jude asked.

"Jude, I'm here to help you." AJ sighed, "Being a mom is not easy, and it's not perfect. Believe me." She said, "You're going to feel better. I promise. You just need to take the help that you're given."

"I don't need to do anything, mom." Jude said, "Please just leave." She nodded.

"None of us are gonna let you suffer alone." AJ made clear, "You know this family. You know how it works." She nodded.

"Can't you just respect the fact I want some space right now?" Jude asked, "Let me deal with this in my own way." She shook her head, "Please."

"You're way of dealing with things is keeping them bottled up and not talking about it, Jude." AJ said, "You can't do that. Talk to me. Talk to your sisters. Your father. Sean. We're all here for you."

"Mom, please just get out." Jude placed her hands on her temples, "I'm tired and Mirren is gonna wake up soon and need fed so please just go." She nodded as AJ looked across at her.

"I'll be back tomorrow." AJ said, "And the day after that. And the day after that." She said as Jude rolled her eyes, "And so will Thea. And Cassie. And dad." She nodded.

"Just get out!" Jude yelled, beginning to lose her patience as AJ looked across at her, "Please… please just leave me alone." She shook her head.

"Jude." AJ shook her head with confusion and sadness.

"Just… get out." Jude said, taking her mother by the arm and marching her out of the bedroom.

"Jude." AJ shook her head.

"Out." Jude said, pushing AJ out of the room and slamming the bedroom door shut, leaning her back against it and closing her eyes over, beginning to hear Mirren crying next door which only resulted in some of her own tears.


	64. Getting Through It

**Getting Through It**

* * *

"What happened?" Punk asked, watching AJ come back into the kitchen, holding Mirren who she seen to on her way back downstairs, scooping her tiny little self into her arms to save her daughter from having to soothe her.

"She basically threw me out of the room." AJ shook her head, still in a little bit of shock. She knew her daughter was struggling, that was very clear to her now, and she was clearly having a hard time adapting to motherhood and becoming confident in herself, but she didn't expect her to be aggressive. Jude was never an aggressive person and it worried AJ.

"What do you mean she threw you out?" Punk asked.

"She… grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room." AJ shook her head.

"Seriously?" Punk asked, "What the hell?" He shook his head, "I'm gonna go talk to her." He said, about to walk out the kitchen.

"No, just… just leave her." AJ warned, "She hates this. She hates everyone going up one by one to check on her. It probably reminds her of… when she was attacked." She said, "Everyone tiptoeing around her, checking in on her… it's probably bringing it all back for her." AJ said, "She's hurting right now and she's not herself." She said.

"What are we supposed to do?" Sean asked helplessly, "We can't drag her outside, and we can't force her to talk." He said.

"We just need to be there for her right now. Small steps." AJ nodded, "I'll see if Thea can come around tomorrow and talk to her. They can normally get through to one another." She said as Punk nodded.

"She has her down moments and all but… it's never been like this." Sean shook his head.

"It's a form of depression. And her not wanting to leave the house is… it's like anxiety too." AJ sighed, "But we'll be there for her."

"She needs to speak to someone." Punk shook his head, "Whether it's therapy or… just a doctor." He said.

"Telling her to do something right now is just gonna drive her further away from it. She has to realise on her own. We'll be there to support her, but she needs to realise she needs the help. Us telling her isn't registering." AJ said.

"I've suggested therapy to her before. Even before Mirren was born. I always talked to her about it, said it might be helpful to meet people who've been… sexually assaulted too. I figured it might not make her feel so alone." Sean said, "But… the idea never really hit home with her. I think she just sees it as a place to make it more clear what happened to her and that scares her. I don't think this is just postpartum depression, I think it's… it's that mixed in with stuff that's been on her mind for a long time." Sean nodded.

"We'll get her help." AJ sighed to herself, "This is just all really overwhelming for her." She nodded, looking down at Mirren who was quiet and peaceful in her arms, a little angel with the cutest little face and fuzzy brown hair, "She really is perfect." AJ smiled softly as Sean looked over.

"Yeah, I think so." Sean agreed as AJ smiled.

"I can stay here tonight if you need any help." Punk nodded to Sean.

"No, I'll be ok. Like you said, I think Jude needs a little space. As much as she needs to be around people, I think she needs to calm down a little bit first." Sean said as AJ nodded.

"Well we're here if you need anything. And we'll stop in every day." AJ nodded, "She'll get through this." She said confidently, "She's a tough girl."

"Yeah, she is." Sean agreed, "You guys should get home. I'll drop a text and let you know how she's doing in the morning." He nodded.

"Maybe I could go with Dominic to pack up stuff in Milwaukee and Thea could come here. Spend a day with Jude." Punk suggested as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, well… we'll be home." Sean nodded to them tiredly as they gave him a sympathetic smile. On the upside, it was relieving to see their daughter had a great support system in Sean. He was always there for her, but they could see this was weighing him down too.

* * *

"Ok well dad and Dominic can go to Milwaukee and box more things up and… we can go see Jude in the morning." Thea nodded to her mother.

"Yeah, I think that's best." AJ said, "I didn't realise she was struggling that much."

"Neither did I." Thea shook her head, standing in the kitchen clearing up after dinner.

"She just needs some help, that's all. We'll be there for her." AJ nodded, "She's just always so hard on herself." She sighed sadly.

"She's been like that since she was a kid." Thea nodded, "I remember when we used to walk home from school and if she'd done badly on an exam or something, she'd beg me not to say anything to you." She shook her head, "She cares a lot about what people think." Thea nodded.

"The last thing I want is for her to think she's a bad mom." AJ shook her head worriedly, "She's just so new to this and she… she needs to give herself time to adjust." She said as Thea nodded.

"She'll get through it." Thea nodded confidently, folding her arms, "How's the head?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's alright." AJ said briefly, looking up at Thea who raised a brow, "Ok, it's… it's sore. Of course it's sore. But I'm not sitting on the couch all day, I'll go insane." She said, "And Jude needs me right now."

"Just take it easy." Thea said, "Where is dad?" She asked.

"He went to the station to see how things were going, talk to Cassie about it." AJ said.

"I thought he would." Thea nodded, "Dominic's taken the kids for their baths." She said as AJ nodded, "I wanna thank you guys for letting us stay here during all of this. It's been difficult trying to figure out where we're staying and this has made it really easy on us." She said as AJ smiled.

"It's ok, baby. This is always your home." AJ assured her, "And I'm glad that you're both back in Chicago."

"Yeah, me too." Thea said, "Milwaukee was trash. I missed my city." She nodded, "I'm just glad that I managed to get James back into school here. I feel terrible for moving him around so much these past few months. I'm frightened it affects him."

"I think he's doing fine." AJ assured her, "He's young enough for it not to be such a huge deal." She nodded.

"I can't stop thinking about Jude." Thea sighed, "What… What can we even say? She's feeling these things and us telling her it's gonna be ok isn't what she wants to hear." She assumed.

"Then we just be there for her. We don't need to tell her, we just… do it." AJ nodded, "I was thinking we could take some breakfast round for her in the morning. We could watch a movie or something. Just be with her." She said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah. She definitely needs people around her." Thea agreed.

"Mommy! Daddy says you've to come braid my hair!" Sofia ran into the kitchen with wet hair and her hooded towel around her as AJ chuckled.

"I like this towel." AJ smiled.

"It's Disney princesses." Sofia told her as AJ smiled.

"Who is your favourite?" AJ asked curiously.

"Umm…" Sofia thought to herself, looking down at the towel, "Jasmine because she has a pet tiger." She nodded as Thea smiled.

"That's a good choice, baby." Thea nodded, "Let's go get this wet hair braided." She said, lifting up Sofia and leaving the kitchen as Sofia waved to AJ over her mother's shoulder, causing her to smile.

* * *

"Hey." Punk stuck his head into the living room later that night where AJ was sitting on the couch.

"Hey." AJ smiled, "You been at the station all this time?" She asked him, noticing it had gotten really late.

"Yeah, just talking with Cassie and Jake about everything. The good news is they're not charging me with anything." He said.

"Oh, well that is good news. You going to prison would be the cherry on top of a disasterous month." She nodded.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Punk said, "Brought you home a chocolate chip cookie." He said, collapsing down beside her on the couch.

"I'm gonna get fat if I just sit on the couch all the time eating junk food." She said, nevertheless taking the cookie from him.

"It's an apology cookie for being gone for so long tonight." Punk said, kissing her cheek as she smiled.

"Don't worry about it." She patted his thigh softly, "How's Cassie doing?"

"She's good. She's tired but she's… she's working hard." Punk nodded, "Where is the rest of the crew?" He asked.

"They're all in bed." AJ said, "Me and Thea are gonna go to Jude's in the morning. Take over some breakfast and spend some time with her. You're gonna go to Milwaukee with Dominic and help pack up more things from the house."

"Yeah, that's no problem." Punk nodded, "I suggested to Cassie about maybe her and Thea going over to Jude's one night. Have a sleepover. Do… sister stuff." He said, "She was down for that."

"That's a sweet idea." AJ smiled, rubbing his arm.

"Can't stop thinking about her." Punk admitted.

"Me neither." AJ sighed to herself, "It's just knowing that we can't do anything to make it go away. I just desperately wanna make it all better for her." She shook her head as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Punk said, "But she's gonna get the help she needs. From us, from doctors if she has to go, she's not alone. And Sean is there for her."

"I know, we have such good son-in-law's." AJ nodded, "Makes things a little easier."

"Yeah, it does." Punk agreed, "What you gonna go do tomorrow? Are you gonna talk to her or-"

"Well I told Thea that we could maybe just watch a movie. We don't have to talk to her about things. It's probably just gonna make it worse at this stage. I just want her to have us around her and… if she feels like talking then we're there to listen." AJ nodded.

"You're a good mama." Punk said, kissing her head as she smiled softly.

"I just wish I could have been there for her more these past few days." AJ shook her head.

"April, please don't be hard on yourself. You're struggling too. You had a pretty horrific accident. We're lucky you're here at all." Punk reminded her, "Now, I know you like to go all wonder woman on me but… you gotta take it easy too." He nodded, frightened that his wife was doing too much too quickly.

"All I'm doing is moving from this couch over to Jude's." AJ said, "I'll be fine." She assured him as he nodded.

"Well you can text me throughout the day and let me know how it goes." Punk said, "Make sure you tell Thea not to be too hard on her. You know how she can get."

"Yeah, sometimes Thea hurts to heal." AJ agreed, "She's worried about her, though."

"Yeah well we all are. She's been through enough." Punk shook his head, "Whenever I see any of them struggling I just… I still see them as little girls." He said as AJ nodded, "I'd take all the pain and whatever from them if I could."

"Yeah, I would too." AJ nodded, "We'll help her through it." She said as Punk nodded, watching her eat the cookie.

"Good?" He asked.

"Yeah, it is." AJ said, "I don't take myself for the cookie type but maybe… I should rethink." AJ said as Punk smiled, kissing her cheek as she turned around, pecking him on the lips as he looked at her, watching as she pressed her lips back against his, deepening the kiss and pushing him over onto his back.

"You taste better." She said against his lips as he chuckled, deepening the kiss, feeling her hands running up his t-shirt.

"You sure you should be doing this?" Punk asked her, watching her taking her t-shirt off.

"You're not fucking my head, are you?" She asked him as he laughed a little, feeling her press her lips back down against his as he ran his hands down her waist. It was good to get out of their own heads for now.


	65. Time To Think

**Time To Think**

* * *

"Morning." Thea smiled, walking into her sister's kitchen the next morning with some breakfast whilst AJ followed behind.

"Who let you in?" Jude asked unhappily, sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee, still in the same clothes as she had been in for the past few days.

"We let ourselves in." Thea said, "We brought some breakfast." She announced, sitting the breakfast down on the kitchen table as Jude looked at AJ.

"Hi, sweetie." AJ smiled softly as Jude nodded.

"Where is Sean?" Thea asked.

"In the shower." Jude said, swirling the last of her coffee around in her mug which read "ray of fucking sunshine" on it.

"And Mirren? What is she up to today?" Thea teased, sitting down at the kitchen table, unwrapping the breakfast burrito she'd bought for herself. She wasn't going to treat her sister any different. She never did.

"Don't you have kids of your own to look after?" Jude shook her head.

"Well… James is at that thing called school. And Sofia is with Dominic and dad. She thinks she's helping with the packing but… she'll just stand and watch." Thea nodded.

"Shouldn't you be resting your head?" Jude looked at AJ.

"Well I can rest from your couch." AJ shrugged as Jude looked at them both.

"I swear this family thinks give me some space means everyone come and annoy me." Jude shook her head, leaning back on the chair, running her hands over her face.

"You had breakfast?" Thea asked, "Here." She passed Jude over her favourite breakfast sandwich, "I got you your favourite, and look… iced vanilla swirl coffee." She shook the iced coffee.

"Ok well… I'm breastfeeding and I've already had my caffeine for the day, so… you can have it." Jude said, shaking the iced coffee back at her sister as Thea looked at her.

"I didn't know you were breastfeeding." AJ shook her head.

"Well I'm trying to." Jude said, "We've been using formula as a back-up. She's not been keen on my boobs so far." She shrugged.

"That's because you don't have any." Thea nodded as Jude looked across at her.

"I have more than you." Jude bit back as AJ rolled her eyes.

"Ok, what age are you guys?" AJ shook her head, "I'll drink the iced coffee." She said, "Let's not lose our minds over it."

"So you guys really came here to sit and watch a movie?" Jude asked them both. She was no fool. She knew why they were here, and as much as deep down she appreciated the support she had from her family, she really did just want to be alone, apparently that was not going to happen.

"Yeah, we can watch one of your favourites." AJ nodded.

"Fine. Clueless it is." Jude smirked, folding her arms and sitting back on the chair as Thea turned to AJ and groaned.

"Haven't you made us watch that enough over the years?" Thea groaned. She distinctly remembered being in her early teens, coming home from school where a younger Jude would play the movie Clueless every day. It was torture and Jude knew it was.

"No, I don't think so." Jude said, standing up and leaving the kitchen as Thea turned to AJ.

"She's mean when she's depressed." Thea scoffed.

"Stop. This is good. At least she's not throwing us out." AJ said, "Come on." She nodded, leaving the kitchen and walking into the living room were Jude had picked her usual spot on the sofa, switching the TV on whilst AJ sat down.

"Hey." Sean walked into the living room with Mirren, "I thought I heard you guys." He smiled.

"Oh, hi." Thea smiled, looking on at Mirren in his arms, "She's such a little angel." She shook her head, stroking her niece's cheek.

"What's up?" Jude asked him.

"I need to head into work quickly. I won't be long." Sean said, "She was kinda stirring when I got out the shower."

"I'll take her. I've not had a hold in a while." Thea nodded, taking Mirren from Sean, holding her in her arms.

"Thanks." Sean nodded, "What's this? Movie morning?" He smiled, glad to see Thea and AJ had come around to give Jude some company. He could only do and say so much. He knew Jude had a great relationship with all her family and to have them around, he knew was important for her, whether she would admit it or not.

"Yeah, we're watching Clueless, it's my mom and Thea's favourite." She nodded sarcastically, looking over at her mother and Thea who faked a smile.

"Well enjoy." Sean nodded, leaning down and kissing Jude, "I'll be back soon." He said as she nodded.

"Ok." She smiled softly, watching as he left the living room and headed out.

"Look at her little fingers. I could eat them." Thea sighed, sitting on the couch with Mirren whilst AJ sat beside, looking on and smiling.

"She is adorable." AJ added as Jude looked over at them.

"She just looks like every other baby." Jude shook her head as AJ and Thea turned to her.

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"Why would you say that?" Thea shook her head with confusion.

"Well all babies look the exact same." Jude shook her head as Thea stared over at her.

"Is that what you think when you look at her?" Thea questioned with sadness. It just wasn't something she expected to hear from her sister.

"Can we just watch the movie?" Jude asked, playing the movie as Thea turned to AJ who just shook her head to let it go.

* * *

"Daddy." Sofia skipped over to the back of the van outside their house in Milwaukee where Punk and Dominic were packing up boxes into the moving van to drive to the new house in Chicago.

"What's up?" Dominic asked her.

"I need the toilet." Sofia said as Dominic handed Punk another box up as he stood crouched in the van.

"Ok, well you can use the bathroom in the house." Dominic nodded to her.

"But I need help." Sofia whispered as Dominic looked down at her.

"Alright." Dominic nodded, "I'll be back in a minute." He told Punk who smiled and nodded, watching Dominic head back into the house with Sofia.

He pushed all the boxes they'd put in the van to the back, trying to create as much room as possible to avoid more trips than necessary. He noticed a box which was labelled 'Thea's things' on the front of it.

He knew better than to snoop around, but he was curious. He opened up the box, smiling as he saw some sentimental belongings of Thea's, including her childhood stuffed animal, Harold, who he remembered her taking everywhere. He also saw the tickets from her first Blackhawks game he took her to. Pictures of her and her sisters over the years. Gifts and souvenirs she'd gotten. He never took Thea for the sentimental kind, but clearly he was wrong.

"Hey, sorry about that." Dominic returned to the back of the van, "I swear she needs to go to the toilet more times in a day than a drunk guy." He shook his head as Punk chuckled, closing up the box he was looking in and sitting it over carefully.

"Don't worry about it, I've lived with three of her before." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I… I really don't know how you did that." Dominic said, "Sofia's a handful on her own. I couldn't imagine three of her." He shook his head.

"Well to be fair, April dealt with most of the growing up between them all." Punk said, "Thea and Jude as kids were a handful." He remembered, "Complete opposites too."

"Really? You wouldn't think that now with them being so close." Dominic said, handing him another box.

"Yeah, they were just so different from each other. But then again, I doubt any siblings are similar." Punk said.

"You and Dean are pretty similar." Dominic disagreed.

"You think?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, you got the same personality." Dominic said.

"I never really see us being alike but… maybe we are." Punk shrugged, "I used to think Cassie was a lot more like Jude but now that she's grown up more I see her more like Thea." He said.

"I think the cop in her brings it out." Dominic said as Punk laughed a little and nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Punk agreed.

"How is Jude doing? Do you know?" Dominic asked him.

"April was gonna text me to let me know how it was going but she hasn't yet." Punk said, "I think she's just struggling a little with the baby and everything changing. It can be scary. Being a parent still scares me and all my kids are grown adults." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, it might just take a little bit of time for her to adjust. No one really knows what they're doing with their first kid." Dominic said, handing Punk up another box.

"Or second or third." Punk added as Dominic chuckled a little.

"Yeah, you're right." Dominic agreed, "How are things going with the cops?"

"They're good. I don't think I'm in any kind of trouble. It's weird how all their perspectives have changed on me since Cassie works there now. They actually treat me like a normal human being and not just an ex con. Which is always nice." Punk nodded.

"I bet." Dominic said.

"No charges are being pressed against me. It was self-defence. If it wasn't him dead it… it would have been me. And if I had to choose me or him, I'm choosing me." Punk shrugged.

"Doesn't it bother you that it was April's parents who caused so much trouble for you both? Without you knowing?" Dominic asked.

"I'm kinda struggling to be mad. I don't wanna be boring and it say it's my age but… I did the whole… being mad at everyone thing. Nothing about this information will change anything. I still went to prison. Is still served those two sentences. I still had a shitty childhood." Punk said, "Knowing they were to do with more than I thought… it's just changing the context around all those things."

"What was prison like?" Dominic asked.

"Well I wouldn't recommend it." Punk said as Dominic smiled, "I don't know, it's hard to describe to someone who… hasn't been. Your average person would probably think it's lonely and cold. Strict." He said, "And it was all those things but… also a lot more than I can't even get into. It's… it's not something I enjoy talking about."

"Sorry, I… I shouldn't have asked." Dominic shook his head.

"No, you're fine." Punk assured him, "There's just a lot there. Eight years was a long time. I saw a lot of… crazy shit." He shook his head.

"I can only imagine." Dominic nodded, "What about your dad? You thought anymore about what you're gonna do?"

"Not really." Punk said, "I guess I'm just taking this time as a breather, to really think about it all." He nodded, "I know Dean is doing the same. It's sort of hard to figure out what you want from someone you don't actually know." He shrugged.

"It's important you take the time to think about it." Dominic agreed, "Plus you've been a little pre-occupied with other stuff."

"Yeah, story of my life." Punk nodded.

"Daddy." Sofia appeared again, coming out of the house where she had been playing with her dolls, strolling out to the back of the van.

"Mhm?" Dominic looked down at her.

"I'm hungry." Sofia said as Punk just chuckled to himself, looking over at Dominic who nodded.

"Can you wait a little bit?" Dominic wondered.

"My tummy is making funny noises." Sofia explained as Dominic turned to Punk who just smiled.

"I can get the rest of these. Go fix her up something." Punk nodded.

"You sure?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah, go on." Punk nodded.

"Thanks." Dominic nodded, "Ok, come on, munchkin." He lifted up Sofia high in the air as she giggled, her little arms hanging around his neck as he walked back into the house with her to fix her something to eat.


	66. Locked Away

**Locked Away**

* * *

"How'd it go today?" Punk asked, getting home later that night after a day of helping Dominic, with Sofia supervising them, move boxes to the new house from Milwaukee to Chicago. He was eager to find out from his wife how Jude was doing and if their day was as successful as he hoped.

"Wasn't great." AJ shook her head honestly, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, finding a quiet minute to herself.

"What happened?" Punk asked her, sitting down across from her at the table.

"Well she didn't want us there from the get go. Then she was bickering with Thea. We watched a movie but she was falling asleep during it. She didn't eat lunch and then said she was going for a nap." AJ shrugged, "She also… made a couple of weird comments about Mirren."

"What do you mean?" Punk asked.

"Just… things you don't say as a mom." AJ said with concern, "Me and Thea were being ridiculous and just saying how adorable Mirren is and… Jude just said she looked like every other baby." AJ shrugged.

"She said that out loud?" Punk asked as AJ nodded.

"Yeah." AJ said, "And don't get me wrong, I know Jude isn't the dramatic kind. She doesn't strike me as the type of mom who does sit and worship their newborn baby but… I mean, to say something like that, it threw me and Thea right off." AJ shook her head.

"Did you tell Sean?" Punk asked.

"Yeah, well he had gone out for a couple hours. Something to do with work." AJ said, "But when he came back me and Thea just told him how things went. He wasn't surprised. We talked a little about her maybe going to the doctors or starting therapy again."

"You know she's not gonna go, though. Right?" Punk nodded.

"Well she's gonna have to because I'm not watching her suffer like this. She's in a… horrible place." AJ shook her head, "And this should be a special time for her and Sean." She sighed to herself as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I think maybe Sean should call the health visitor back to the house." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"How was your day?" AJ asked him.

"It was good. We got mostly everything boxed up and moved in the van." Punk said, "Sofia had us on a strict schedule." He teased as AJ smiled.

"I'm sure she did." AJ smiled sweetly.

"She reminds me of Thea when she was young so much." Punk shook his head, "Same attitude, same personality." Punk nodded.

"Hey!" Cassie called, getting home from another long day, walking down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Hi, sweetie." AJ smiled.

"Hey, another long day?" Punk asked her as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, they aren't exactly breaking me in gently." Cassie nodded, "I get a day off tomorrow, though. I plan on sleeping the entire day." She said longingly, opening up the fridge to see what she could eat quickly.

"How is the case going with Jake? If I need to come back in for questioning just let me know." Punk said.

"No, it should be fine. It's a long process for something that ends up so easy to finish." Cassie said, "Your mother did make a statement about the both of you, though." She nodded to AJ.

"Saying what?" AJ asked.

"Let's just say… not very nice things." Cassie said, "But, considering her husband is dead I guess we can give her a pass, right?"

"Well It's not like I'm not used to my mom talking shit about me." AJ shook her head.

"It's a pretty annoying process but… they're not gonna charge you." Cassie shook her head, looking over at Punk, "You were defending yourself. If you didn't, you'd be dead. They gotta take that into account first and foremost. Plus the guy was unstable." She said as Punk nodded, looking over at AJ.

"You ok?" Punk asked her as AJ nodded, taking a sip of her coffee, not saying much. He noticed she hadn't really spoken much about her father and what had happened.

"How was Jude?" Cassie asked AJ who just shook her head.

"Not great." AJ said, "She's struggling a lot." She nodded as Cassie sighed.

"Is it like… to do with Mirren?" Cassie asked, "Is she struggling to bond with her?"

"No, I just… I think it's more to do with her, but I just fear that it starts affecting her relationship with Mirren." AJ said, "Maybe you and Thea could take her out for the day." AJ said. She was trying to think of anything that would get Jude out of the house and talking. Her natural motherly instincts just wanted to help her and figure out a way to make things better for her right now.

"Yeah, we can… we can try." Cassie nodded, "Is she really bad?" She wondered. She'd been shut off from family life for a few days, being so busy at work, barely getting time to sleep and eat. She was upset to hear her sister was in a difficult place.

"Yeah, she's not good, Cass." AJ shook her head.

"Well I'll talk to Thea and see if we can come up with something." Cassie nodded.

"Thank you." AJ smiled as Cassie nodded.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." She said, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs.

"Yeah, maybe a day with her sisters will help." Punk nodded to AJ.

"I hope so." AJ sighed, "It's again, one of those situations where I feel helpless and I can't help her."

"We can help her. Us just being there is helping, whether it feels like it or not." Punk said.

"She just can't catch a break." AJ sighed, rubbing her forehead stressfully.

"Hey, how's the head?" Punk asked with concern.

"Fine." AJ said briefly.

"Ape, come on… don't lie to me." Punk said.

"Well obviously it's sore. It's always sore." AJ said, "But I can't not do anything. Jude needs us." AJ said.

"You're also not long out of hospital. You need to take it easy. Please." He begged as AJ looked across at him.

"I am taking it easy." AJ insisted, "I sat on Jude's couch all day. How much easier can I be taking it?" She questioned as he just made a face at her, to which she replicated a face back at him.

"Did Thea go to the new house?" Punk asked her.

"Yeah, I think they were gonna stay there tonight." AJ said, "They got the kids beds sorted and I think they're fine to start crashing there for the night." She said.

"I told Dominic I would go and help him tomorrow with anything else he needed." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Good, I know he'll appreciate that. You're the closest thing he has to a dad." AJ reminded him as Punk nodded.

"He's a good kid." Punk nodded, "Him and Sean. The girls did good." He said as AJ nodded.

* * *

Later on that night, AJ and Punk were fast asleep. Cassie had crashed downstairs on the couch, having fallen asleep whilst watching a movie, too tired to keep her eyes open with all the work she'd been doing at the station.

Punk was brought out of his sleep with a nightmare, one which he hadn't had for quite some time, frightening him so much he jumped up, wakening AJ in the process.

"Huh?" Punk felt around him, placing his hand on AJ's arm, turning to her and making sure she was there as she looked at him.

"What's wrong?" AJ asked worriedly, sitting up with screwed up eyes.

"I was…" Punk paused, looking around the bedroom, taking a second to let himself know it was only a bad dream. He hated how real they could feel sometimes. As if he really was living it, "I was just dreaming." Punk shook his head, "Sorry." He leaned over, kissing her and cupping her cheek, "Sorry." He mumbled, kissing her again.

"What were you dreaming about?" AJ frowned, rubbing his arm softly as she lay back down.

"Prison." Punk shook his head with confusion, "I haven't… I haven't had a dream like that in a long time." He said, slowly lying back down on his back as AJ watched him.

"You been thinking about prison?" AJ wondered, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

"No… no, well… Dominic asked me a little about it yesterday but I didn't think much about it." Punk said.

"Could be in your subconscious, though." AJ said, "You wanna talk about the dream?" She asked him. She knew he'd gone through a bad spell of nightmares a while back, especially when he was dealing with his anxiety and panic attacks.

"Not particularly." Punk shook his head.

"You never talk to me about prison." She whispered, playing with his hair at the side.

"It's better for me if I don't talk about it." Punk said. He'd spoken to her about the basics of things but he never got into it with her. Even though it was a while back, somehow it always felt fresh in his mind and he hated that.

"Well you know if… if you ever want to, whenever, I'll listen." She said as he turned to her.

"I know that." Punk smiled. It was less to do with what happened to him in prison, and more to do with the things he seen. There was a lot he couldn't even put into words.

"You want anything? A drink or something?" She asked him as he shook his head.

"No… no, I'm good." Punk assured her as she smiled, leaning over and kissing him on the lips as he kissed back. By natural reaction he pulled her over on top of him, cupping her face as the kiss deepened, watching as she pushed her t-shit above her breasts where his hands immediately fell to hold onto.

"I'll put good thoughts back in your head." She whispered, kissing his cheek and down his neck as he chuckled a little.

"You already have." He smirked, watching as she kissed down his chest, disappearing under the sheets, pulling at his boxers shorts when suddenly his phone began to ring on the bedside table.

"Who the hell is that?" AJ asked from under the covers, climbing back up his body as Punk reached over for his phone.

"It's Sean." Punk said worriedly, sitting up and answering the phone as AJ fixed her t-shirt and sat worriedly, "Hey." Punk answered, listening to Sean, "Ok, we'll be right there." He said worriedly as AJ immediately got off the bed in a panic, grabbing some clothes to put on, "I know, just… just calm down. We'll be over in two minutes." Punk promised, standing up and grabbing his shorts, hanging up on the call.

"What is it?" AJ asked frantically.

"Jude." Punk said.

* * *

AJ and Punk drove to Jude and Sean's house as quickly as they could, getting there in record time due to the quiet roads. They got out of the car and headed into the house, immediately running up the stairs and into the bedroom where Sean was standing outside the bathroom.

"How long has she been in there?" Punk asked him.

"Over an hour." Sean panicked, running his hands over his face, "I've said everything. I've tried busting the door at the hinges but I couldn't." He said.

"Jude!" Punk called, knocking on the bathroom door.

"She's in there with Mirren." Sean said as Punk looked across at him.

"Has she spoken to you?" Punk asked him.

"No but I can hear her moving around." Sean nodded, "I've… I've not heard Mirren." He said as AJ looked at Punk, gulping.

"Jude." AJ knocked on the bathroom, "Jude, it's mom." She said softly, "Baby, can you unlock the door for us?" She asked calmly as Punk looked on nervously, "It's just me and your dad here." She promised.

"Come on, Jude. Unlock the door." Punk said, "Mirren should be in her crib." He said, looking on at AJ who he could see was nervous.

"Why would she lock herself in there?" AJ asked Sean quietly.

"I don't know. I… We went to bed and then I woke up. I heard her in the bathroom and then I realised she had Mirren. I asked what she was doing and… she wouldn't say anything. I sat there talking to her for half an hour, forty five minutes… and then I figured I'd call you guys." He said.

"Jude." AJ said, "Can you let me in with you?" She asked, "We just wanna make sure you and Mirren are ok." She said, "Please come out."

"I'm gonna have to break the door down if you don't come out, Jude." Punk made clear, "You gotta come out." He said seriously.

"I'm worried about Mirren." Sean said truthfully, "I don't know what she's doing in there." He said, "We just gotta bust the door open."

"It could fall and hit her." AJ said with concern, "Jude." AJ said, "Jude, please just come out. You don't have to talk to any of us. We just want to know you and Mirren are ok." She said.

"You got tools?" Punk asked Sean, "I can try pick the lock." He nodded.

"Yeah, let me go look." Sean rushed away as Punk looked on at AJ.

"What is she doing?" AJ whispered in a panic.

"Jude, it's just me and mom." Punk said, "We're just worried about you in there so… so, please just come out." He nodded as AJ placed a nervous hand over her mouth.

"Here." Sean came back into the room with a box with some tools in it as Punk took it from him, crouching down and looking through it to find something to pick the lock with, pausing when he heard the lock turning on the door, standing up as Jude opened up the door, holding Mirren in her arms.

"Baby, what were you doing?" AJ asked frantically, watching as Jude walked out of the bathroom, holding Mirren in her arms.

"Give her to me." Sean said worriedly, taking Mirren from her who appeared to be sleeping peacefully, "What the hell were you doing in there with her?" Sean asked angrily. No longer able to be as comforting as he was. Now he was legitimately concerned, "Huh? What the hell, Jude?"

"Ok, calm down." Punk nodded to Sean, "Go put her down in her nursery." He advised, looking on at Mirren who was asleep, watching as Sean left the room whilst Jude stood quietly.

"What were you doing?" AJ asked, looking on at Jude.

"I was trying to feed her." Jude said sleepily.

"She's asleep." Punk pointed out.

"She wasn't when I picked her up." Jude said, "What did you think I was doing?" She asked them suspiciously as they both looked at her, "Drowning her?" She challenged.

"Jude, that's enough." AJ warned, "The hell is wrong with you?" She questioned as Jude walked past her and got into bed.

"Go wait downstairs." Punk nodded to AJ who shook her head, "Yes. Go." Punk told her as AJ looked over at Jude lying in bed, sighing to herself and shaking her head, walking out of the bedroom.

Punk looked over at Jude, running his hands through his hair and walking over to the edge of the bed, "Jude." Punk whispered.

"What?" Jude looked at him, lying on her side.

"You need to see a doctor." Punk nodded seriously as she looked across at him, "And you need to get better. Because you're not in a good place right now." He said as she nodded, looking on at him, "You deserve to feel better than this." He said, watching as a tear rolled down her cheek and dropped on the mattress, "You're gonna get better, ok?" He nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear as she closed her eyes over.


	67. Trying

**Trying**

* * *

"How did it go at the doctors?" AJ asked, walking into Jude's house with Punk where Sean let them in, a few days later.

"It was… as ok as it could have went." Sean nodded to them, walking through to the kitchen.

It had been a few days since Jude's breaking point into utter silence, and Sean along with the rest of Jude's family, had managed to get her out of the house and into a doctor's office.

"What did the doctor say?" Punk asked him.

They were extremely concerned for their daughter. They all were. And their heart broke for her, watching her have such a difficult time becoming a new mom.

"She was super nice. I could see Jude started to get comfortable with her." Sean said, "She diagnosed her with postpartum depression with psychosis tendencies."

"Psychosis?" AJ questioned, "As in… hallucinations and stuff?" She shook her head.

"Well yeah, it can be that but it can also be mood swings, delusions, behaving out of character… which she has." Sean said, "The doctor asked her a lot of questions about it and that's what she gathered. So they've gave her some medication to take and she has an appointment twice a week with a specialist." He nodded.

"And she's… willing to go?" Punk asked him.

"Yeah, well… if she isn't then I'm taking her by the hand and marching her there." Sean said, "The doctor reckons it can stem from the PTSD and the anxiety she had after she was raped." He said.

"I wish she didn't have to go through any of this." AJ shook her head. Her heart hurt for her daughter and all the mental struggles she'd been through at such a young age already. It didn't seem fair. She wanted to take all the pain and suffering from her. She would in a heartbeat.

"Yeah, me neither." Sean agreed, "But weirdly enough, after speaking with the doctor she did seem a little brighter. Not a big change but… I could see a difference." He nodded, "The doctor said that once this passes and she's back to herself, she might struggle with Mirren more. She might feel guilty or struggle to bond with her because of what's been going on." He said.

"She's great with Mirren." Punk shook his head, "She'll get there." He nodded confidently.

"So what's her appointment with the specialist for? Is it therapy?" AJ asked Sean.

"Yeah, it's sort of like therapy but with someone who works in that sort of field with postpartum mother's." Sean said.

"How has she been doing?" Punk asked. They'd come by every day to see Jude but she was either sleeping or she wasn't participating in much conversation.

"She's still pretty distant but… I don't know, I think she knows she needs to go and see someone about this. Before she was sort of in denial about it but I think she knows now." Sean nodded, "And she's started the medication today so… maybe that'll help her out." Sean said as Punk and AJ nodded.

"Has she been spending any time with Mirren?" AJ asked.

"A little. Not as much. I think she's trying to distance herself from her after the other night in the bathroom. I think she… feels like she did something wrong. Like she hurt her. I know she didn't but… she has been a lot more distant." Sean nodded.

"Hey, man. You know how strong she is. The important thing is she's saw a doctor and she's gonna get help." Punk said as Sean nodded.

"It's just so hard seeing her like this. It… It almost feels worse than when she was attacked. I saw her when she was pregnant. She was so happy and ready for this. She'd tell me all the things she was looking forward to doing with Mirren when she got here." Sean shook his head.

"Having a baby can affect mom's differently. It's an emotional rollercoaster at the best of times. And there's no explanation to it really. It just sort of happens. No one caused it. It wasn't her fault, it wasn't yours or Mirren's fault. She loves you guys just the same." AJ assured him, "Things will start looking up soon." She nodded.

"I'm just gonna go stick my head in and tell her we stopped by." Punk said as AJ nodded.

He left the kitchen and headed upstairs, knocking on the bedroom door before walking in quietly, looking over where Jude was sitting up in bed whilst the TV was on in the corner.

"Hey, Jude." Punk hummed with a smile as she turned to him.

"Hey." Jude nodded, "I thought I heard you coming in."

"Yeah, me and mom just came to stop by and… see how you got on at the doctor's office." Punk said, walking over and sitting down on the edge of the bed facing her.

"Well, to sum up, they think I'm crazy." Jude nodded.

"No, they don't." Punk corrected as she looked at him.

"I'm sure Sean filled you in." Jude said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, he told us." Punk said, "And it's ok. Tons of women feel the exact same way you are right now after having a baby." He nodded, "It's really common."

"They've put me on medication." Jude rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well it's to help you." Punk nodded, "It's to try and help you feel a little better. Sean said you started to feel comfortable talking to the doctor."

"Yeah, I guess. She was really nice to me." Jude nodded, "I've to go for one-on-one sessions twice a week with a specialist." She said, looking at him unhappily as he smiled at her.

"And I know you're so thrilled about that." Punk nodded sarcastically as she shook her head, "It's gonna make you feel better, babe. You need the help right now." He told her as she looked at him.

"I'm such a bad mom." Jude shook her head.

"No, no you're not." Punk shook his head, "You're a great mom. This… All of this has nothing to do with your ability to be a good mom."

"I never thought having a baby would make me feel as terrible as I did when I was raped." Jude shook her head with confusion, "How does that even make sense?" She questioned, "I was… I was so ready to meet her. I thought I was ready to be a mom." She shook her head.

"You are ready. You're doing it and you're doing great." Punk said, "You just need to take care of you first and then… then you can give her all the attention she needs." He nodded, "Your health is important right now."

He could definitely see she was acknowledging more than she had been these past weeks. She was actually addressing the fact she needed help and that was a big step in Punk's eyes. He wasn't sure if it was the fact she'd spoken to a doctor, or she'd started new medication but any small progress was good progress.

"I just thought I'd be better than this." Jude shook her head, "I don't know what happened." She whispered with tears in her eyes.

"It's nothing you did, baby. I promise you." Punk nodded, reaching over and drying her tears, "Mirren is so damn lucky to have you. I was there when you had her. You're ready for this. This is just a little bump on the road and trust me, parenting has lots of them sometimes, some bigger than others, but you get over them." He said as she nodded.

"I don't know if… if the whole therapy thing and feeling like this is just taking me back to when I was raped. And maybe that's what I'm thinking about." Jude shrugged. She was in and out of her right mind, thinking about her state of mind and what emotions she was feeling, trying to figure out why. There was a mix of everything and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Maybe. That might be why it's difficult." Punk agreed, "But you got through that before and I know you can do it again." He said.

"I hate him for leaving me with this." Jude shook her head, drying her tears as Punk nodded.

"I do too." Punk agreed.

"I hope he's burning in hell." She whispered as Punk nodded again.

"Again…. I do too." He said as Jude smiled a little, looking over at him, "Thea and Cassie send their love. And they want to know the second when you're ready for them to come visit. They're desperate." Punk smiled as Jude nodded.

"I guess I wanna see this specialist first." Jude nodded, "I don't know why it's taking me so much effort and struggle to leave the house. It's exhausting feeling like this."

"It's… it's a mental illness." Punk nodded, "And it deserves the same treatment and care that any other illness gets." He emphasised as Jude looked at him, "We're all there to help you with whatever you need. I know it might seem daunting right now, thinking about ever feeling good again and… back to normal but you'll get there. I know you will." Punk said, "Little goals, right?" He reminded her as she smiled a little.

"Yeah." She nodded quietly, "Yeah, little goals." She mumbled.

"The biggest step is realising you need to take care of yourself and get help." He said, "And you've done that. So keep going." He nodded encouragingly as she nodded.

"I don't think Sean is gonna wanna marry me now." She said as Punk shook his head.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"I think he's mad. And I… I feel like I've ruined all of this for him. For us." Jude shook her head, looking down, "This was supposed to be special and I've made it a nightmare."

"No you haven't." Punk said, "Sean is just worried about you. He's not mad." He assured her, "His main focus is for you to get better."

"It's just hard to think I'm gonna feel better from this." Jude shook her head.

"I know but you will." Punk promised her.

"I wasn't even gonna go to see the doctor today. Sean literally took my hand and pulled me out of the house." She shook her head, "And then I… cried in the car before getting out, like a child." She said.

"You can't be hard on yourself right now." Punk shook his head, "Your feelings and emotions are valid. Don't abuse yourself." He said, "And when you see this specialist just… tell him or her everything you're feeling. Get it all off your chest." He nodded.

"It just reminds me of going to therapy before and talking about being raped." Jude shook her head.

"I know, but you can talk about anything. Whatever is on your mind." Punk said, "Just empty it all out. Don't be afraid to cry." He nodded as she sighed to herself.

"I'm sick of crying." Jude rolled her eyes.

"Then cry about being sick of crying." Punk nodded as she smiled a little, "Put you first right now."

"I should be putting Mirren first." Jude shook her head.

"Mirren is fine. Sean's got her and it's not like you're going anywhere. To be the best mom you wanna be, you gotta take care of yourself first." Punk said.

"Yeah, I know." Jude nodded. She was becoming more aware of things. She'd got lost within herself for such a long time and it took her being dragged to the doctors to realise how abnormal she had been acting and how steep the path she'd fallen down was.

"I love you and we're all here for you, always." Punk assured her as she nodded.

"Thanks, dad." Jude whispered.

"Come here." Punk sighed, leaning over and wrapping his arms around her tightly as she hugged him back.

Her heart was so big and full and at times, after what she'd gone through, he felt like he'd lost her a little bit. And when he saw her struggling like this, his mind would torture itself by thinking of her as a little girl, bright and bubbly, full of character and soul. It broke his heart to see what she'd grown up to and gone through in her life. There was a time where she was the only member of his family that came to see him in prison. She never gave up on him and he never, ever would give up on her. That was a promise.


	68. Big Step

**Big Step**

* * *

"Wow, Thea this is place is so nice." AJ said, walking into her daughter's new house.

"Right?" Thea smiled, standing in the kitchen, tons of boxes lying around yet to be unpacked, "Just don't trip up over any of the boxes. There's tons everywhere." She shook her head.

"It's a lot bigger inside than I thought." AJ admitted, "How's the unpacking coming along?"

"I feel like I unpack one box and then… five million other ones appear around me." Thea shook her head, "And then James and Sofia keep moving some and I'm all over the place trying to find things."

"The joys of moving into a new place." AJ nodded, "Where's Dominic?"

"He's at work." Thea said, "Honestly, sometimes it's better if he just… gets out my way for a little while." She scoffed, "He kinda just stands around and gets in my way." She said as AJ chuckled.

"Or you just like to take control of things." AJ suggested.

"Well obviously." Thea nodded, already knowing that, "You want a coffee? I can try and find the pot somewhere." She looked around at all the boxes.

"No, it's ok." AJ smiled, "Where's Sofia?" She asked.

"Oh, she's out in the garden playing with her dolls." Thea said as AJ looked out the window, smiling on as she saw Sofia sitting on the grass playing.

"Looks like she's having a tea party." AJ smiled.

"Yeah, she hosts a lot of them." Thea nodded, "What are you doing coming here anyway?"

"Well your dad is back at work. Cassie is at work too. Jude is at her appointment. I was lonely." AJ shrugged.

"Jude's appointment is today?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, this afternoon." AJ nodded, "Me and your dad stopped by last night to see her."

"How is she?" Thea asked, leaning against the counter and folding her arms.

"She's a little better. The medication is making her really sleepy." She said, "But she was talking to us for a little while, seemed a lot brighter than she has been." She nodded.

"It must be so horrible." Thea shook her head, "I hope her appointment goes ok, and she opens up about how she's feeling." She said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, me too." AJ said.

"She has been texting me a lot more. When she's feeling up to it I'll take her out for the day. Go shopping or something. Or for coffee. She needs to be out and about as much as possible. It really does help." Thea said as AJ nodded.

"I'm sure when she's ready she'll let you know." AJ said, "I'm just glad that she's… she's going to the appointment and she's acknowledging it now. I mean… that night me and your father went to the house, when she locked herself in the bathroom, it was like she had this mask on. Like she wasn't even in the room. It scared me." She shook her head.

"It's crazy how giving birth can affect you in so many different ways." Thea shook her head.

"I think she's having flashbacks to… what happened to her, too. Going to the doctors, and therapy… I think it's bringing it all back for her. Reminding her of that time." AJ said, "My heart aches for her, it really does." AJ shook her head.

"She'll get better." Thea assured her confidently, "She's a badass, and she's gotten through it all before."

"Yeah, I know." AJ nodded.

"How's dad? Has he been talking about Daniel or is he doing that annoying thing he always does and… pretends it's not there?" Thea asked.

"He's been thinking about it. Him and Dean." AJ assured her, "It's a difficult one. I don't think this man is necessarily a bad person. But… your dad and Dean are not spring chickens anymore. It's not like they're even in their thirties. It's a lot of time that's gone by and I don't know if they see any benefit from a relationship with him. I don't know if they even want one." AJ shrugged, "It's entirely their choice and I'm letting them figure it out together."

"Really? They're both pretty dumb, though." Thea said as AJ laughed a little.

"Thea, that's your father." AJ scoffed.

"Yeah and he's not the greatest at making choices and decisions." Thea said.

"This is entirely up to him and Dean. I'm leaving it up to them." AJ declared, "It's their father." She said. She truly believed it wasn't anything to do with her. This was her husband's decision entirely.

"Speaking of fathers." Thea looked across at her, "How's that whole thing going on?" She asked.

"Well Cassie says it's pretty much a bust case. It was straight up self-defence for your dad. Not just for himself but for you girls too." AJ said.

"Why did you never tell dad?" Thea asked, "You knew all that time that your parents were behind more than you thought. Why didn't you just tell dad about it?"

"It just… didn't seem to matter. He still went to prison. We still had to deal with that. I was so mad when I first found out. I already knew that they were to blame for so much already, but… for more to come out like that. I guess it was then I really stopped seeing them as my parents. They were just people to me. Strangers even." AJ said, "And when your dad got out of prison there was more to worry about than them. There was you girls and your relationships with him. And then when things got good… I just didn't wanna ruin it with anything." She shrugged.

"Yeah, well I can understand that." Thea nodded, "Why after all this time did he still have such an issue with dad?"

"My guess is as good as yours. I think he was losing it, mentally." AJ said, "My parents weren't good people when I was growing up. And I'm not talking just drug dealing and whatever… there's other stuff that I wouldn't even get into with you and your sisters." AJ said, "I guess that kinda life can eat away at your brain without you noticing. I think he was… I think he was jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Thea shook her head.

"Of me, of your father, of us… managing to get away from all of that shit and live a normal life." AJ said.

"Maybe." Thea nodded, "Do you think your mom has gone back to Puerto Rico?"

"Probably. She always hated it here." AJ nodded.

"Well I'm sorry you had really shitty parents. I really can't relate." Thea shrugged as AJ smiled.

"Hey, you're turning into a little kiss ass in your old age. I like it." AJ smiled as Thea laughed a little, shaking her head.

* * *

"I'll pick you up when you're done, ok?" Sean nodded, sitting behind the wheel in the car, looking on at Jude sitting beside him as she looked on at the doctor's office.

"You're not gonna let me… not go, are you?" Jude asked him.

"Afraid not." Sean shook his head, "Believe me, I can imagine how stressful this is but… you know once you're there and you're comfortable, it'll really start to help." Sean said as Jude nodded to herself.

"What are you gonna do whilst I'm there?" She asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. Drive around. I think she likes the car actually." Sean said as Jude turned to look at the back of the car where Mirren was asleep in her carrier, so peacefully still, such an angel, "Maybe stop in and get a coffee somewhere or something." He shrugged as Jude nodded to him.

"Ok." Jude said, "Ok." She whispered to herself.

"I know you can do this." Sean nodded, placing his hand on her thigh as she looked at him, "And I know how much it's took you just to get yourself here already, and I'm so proud of you." He made clear as she smiled softly.

"I don't know how you put up with me sometimes." Jude shook her head.

"It's not… putting up with you, Jude. I love you, and I care about you. I want you to get better. You deserve to feel better than this, and you can…. You will." He nodded positively as she smiled softly, taking a hold of his hand. She'd been through so much with him, and he'd always stuck by her side, for that she was truly thankful. She knew he was going to be her person forever.

"I love you." Jude nodded, leaning over and kissing him as he kissed back.

"Ok, go." Sean nodded, pulling back from the kiss and cupping her cheek, "You don't wanna be late." He said as she nodded.

"I'll see you in an hour." Jude nodded, getting out of the car and heading into the office.

It wasn't so much a doctor's office as it was a therapy clinic. The corridors were painted fresh, decorated accordingly, relaxing music playing in the background and a modern check-in desk as soon as she walked in. It brought her back to the therapy she sought when she had been attacked. That was the difficult part in all of this.

She checked in at the desk and sat in the waiting area before she was called on who she assumed was the therapist she was seeing.

"Hi, Jude." The middle aged woman smiled pleasantly, leading her into the office, "I'm Doctor Tracy Wilson." She said, shaking Jude's hand.

"Nice to meet you." Jude nodded.

"Take a seat, get comfy." Tracy smiled, sitting down on the sofa like chair as Jude sat down across from her, "It's been crazy in here today. Fire alarm has went off twice." She shook her head as Jude smiled a little.

"Hopefully no fires?" Jude smiled as Tracy laughed a little.

"The day is still young." Tracy said as Jude smiled, "Is the afternoon appointment ok for you?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." Jude nodded, watching as she grabbed her notebook.

"Because if it's not I can fit you in in the morning or later on at night." Tracy said, "Just let me know."

"No, this… this is fine." Jude assured her as Tracy smiled.

"Is it good weather out there today? Barely had a chance to look outside." She said.

"It's a little cold but it's dry, I guess." Jude nodded.

"We're not far away from some sunshine, hopefully." Tracy said, filling in some information on her notebook.

"Yeah, I think everyone is desperate for Summer." Jude said.

"Mhm." Tracy smiled, "Ok, so… you were diagnosed with postpartum depression." She looked at the files from Jude's doctor.

"Yeah." Jude nodded.

"How long ago did you give birth?" Tracy asked.

"Almost two weeks now." Jude said.

"Baby girl or boy?" Tracy asked.

"Girl." Jude nodded, "Mirren."

"Oh, how sweet." Tracy smiled, "How would you say things are going since she got here?" She asked as Jude looked across at her. She'd almost forgotten how therapy worked. She was so caught up in the normal chatter, that she had forgot the deep thoughtful questions were coming.

"Uh… not great." Jude nodded.

"How have you been feeling?" Tracy asked her as Jude looked across at her. She figured strength had gotten her in this seat and strength would get her through to the other side. Even if she did cry her way through it.

* * *

AJ had gotten home from Thea's later on and decided to take a nap on the couch. Punk and Cassie were still at work which meant the house was quiet. She felt her head aching and decided to lay it down on the couch for a couple of hours.

She was doing her best to take it easy but it was difficult when she was naturally someone who couldn't sit still. However, after the scare she'd had, she didn't take her health for granted, that was for sure.

She dozed off on the couch for an hour before getting woken up from her sleep with a knock at the door. She took a few minutes to get off the couch, rubbing her tired eyes and fixing her hair as she walked out of the living room.

She opened up the front door, looking on at Sam standing across from her.

"Well, at least you're alive." AJ looked across at her.

"Is Phil home?" Sam asked her.

"He's at work." AJ said, watching as she walked into the house anyway, "I really don't think he wants to talk to you, though."

"Then maybe I'll just talk to you." Sam said, walking on through to the kitchen as AJ rolled her eyes, following after her.

"I was actually enjoying a peaceful nap." AJ said.

"What are you? Three?" Sam shook her head.

"No, just someone with a brain injury." AJ said as Sam looked across at her, "You know what I… I don't think I want you in here after what you did the last time you were here."

"Well… Phil and Dean wanted the truth. What did you expect me to do?" Sam shrugged as AJ looked across at her.

"Yeah, you know what… maybe we do need to talk about all of this." AJ nodded, looking across at her. She hadn't really gotten to talk to Sam. Not even after she woke up from the coma. And she sure as hell had some questions.


	69. Snap

**Snap**

* * *

"Did you really come here and expect Phil to want to talk to you?" AJ asked, looking across at Sam.

"Well… no, he never wants to talk to me. Even before all of this." Sam shrugged, "I just don't want him to think I'm the bad guy in all of this-"

"Well you sort of are." AJ said, "You lied to him about his father."

"You wanna talk about lying, April? Really?" Sam laughed a little, "Don't act so innocent. You've been lying to him just as much."

"I did it to protect him. He didn't need to know all of that stuff about my parents. It wasn't gonna change anything-"

"Yeah and me telling them about what happened with their dad wasn't gonna change anything either." Sam said.

"I thought me and you were friends." AJ said truthfully as Sam looked across at her, "I actually thought that maybe… maybe Phil was too hard on you sometimes. That maybe he could give you a chance. And then you came into my house and threw me under the bus like I didn't even matter to you." She shook her head as Sam looked at her.

"I was… I was drunk-"

"You're always drunk." AJ shook her head, "I actually thought you had some decency inside you. The way you've looked out for Thea in the past. The times you were there for me when Phil was in prison." She said, "And that's how you treat me? I was only home from hospital for a few hours." She emphasised.

"This isn't even about you." Sam shook her head with frustration, "Not everything is centred around you and your feelings."

"Oh, well clearly." AJ understood that.

"Don't you think I feel bad? About how much I sucked as a mom?" Sam asked as AJ looked at her, "And you make it look so easy." She shook her head, "I didn't want to give my sons anymore reason to hate me-"

"But that's selfish on your part. They deserved to know that… their dad came back, and that he took the fall for you." AJ said, "They might have been angry and upset but they would have respected the fact that you told them the truth." She shook her head.

"Well I thought it would benefit everyone if they didn't know." Sam said, "Daniel still left. He left for three years. The only reason he came back was because I was in trouble. He left them. That fact remains the same." She said.

"But he came back and tried to do the right thing. I'm not saying he's a saint. Far from it, clearly. But to two kids who grew up thinking their dad walked out and never came back… finding out he did come back and he got his time cut short, that means something." AJ said, "And if you don't get that, you really just don't care about Phil or Dean."

"I care about my sons." Sam warned.

"You never ever show it." AJ shook her head.

"I was caught up in mess. You know what that feels like." Sam said, "I was on my own with them-"

"I also know what that feels like." AJ added.

"Yeah well I was paying off debts that came from your mom and dad. If we really wanna blame someone here, it's them." Sam said.

"This isn't about them. This is about you not telling Phil and Dean the truth, and then trying to make me look bad to… take the heat off of you." AJ shook her head.

"Well I was upset. And I knew that you had never told Phil all of that stuff and I… I just hate being the disappointment all the time-"

"Then start treating your sons like they're your sons." AJ shook her head, "It's that simple. You've had all this time. You've had chances." She said.

"They know I love them." Sam shook her head.

"Do they?" AJ questioned, "Cause I don't think they do. They've always been on their own. Since birth. I can't bare it when Phil starts telling me about birthday's when he was a kid, spending them with Dean, hungry, scared… alone." She said as Sam looked at her, "And I think about my kids, and if I ever treated them like that, if I ever abandoned them that way… I couldn't live with myself."

"Yeah, exactly, April." Sam nodded, "That is why I find it so difficult to talk to the boys. Because I do know what they went through. I do know about the abuse and the… horrible childhood they had because I… I wasn't ready to look after them." She said, "So don't tell me things I don't already know." She warned.

"You can only give so many excuses, Sam." AJ shook her head, "You've had time. Fifty years of it. And your relationship with them has never gotten better. If anything it's just gotten worse. And I hate it because… those times you've been there for me, you did help me. You gave me advice. You comforted me. You… You did more for me than my own mother did." AJ said as Sam looked at her.

"It's easier. I didn't abandon you." Sam shrugged.

"You can't think like that." AJ shook her head, "They're your sons and… they deserve better than that-"

"That's the whole point. They do deserve better." Sam nodded, "Believe me, I know that."

"Well you don't act like you know it." AJ said as Sam looked across at her.

"You think you're so perfect, don't you?" Sam nodded.

"Me? No, I really don't." AJ said.

"You do." Sam said, "Perfect marriage, perfect kids, perfect life-"

"Far from it." AJ said.

"Yeah, it is far from it." Sam agreed, "Both my boys never became drug addicts… so, maybe I did something right." She said as AJ glared across at her.

"You take that back." AJ warned.

"So perfect, huh?" Sam nodded, "Mother of the century goes to you, April. Well done on the drugs and the abortions and the kidnaps and the rapes-"

"You shut your mouth!" AJ yelled, "Get out of my house, right now." AJ said, before she felt herself ready to lose it.

"What? You wanna stand there and lecture me about how bad a parent I am when I already know!" Sam assured her, "You look down on me and you're… you're just as bad." She shook her head, "The truth is, April… your girls turned out to be just like you when you were young, and that sure is hell is not a good thing." She shook her head.

AJ heard enough, reaching over and grabbing Sam by the hair, toppling herself onto her as they fell to the ground, punching her across the face and grabbing at her hair as Sam whined and complained below.

Luckily, Punk had gotten home from work just in time, walking through the house, alarmed at the screaming and squealing, running into the kitchen where he saw AJ on top of his mother.

"Hey Hey! What the fuck is this?!" Punk yelled, taking a hold of AJ by the waist as she elbowed him accidentally in the crotch, causing him to gasp a little and double over in pain.

"Get off of me!" Sam yelled, trying to reach up and grab AJ's face.

Punk looked over, taking a few deep breaths before trying again.

"Ok, that is enough!" Punk yelled angrily, grabbing AJ by the waist fiercely, picking her up from the ground as she kicked her legs.

"Let go of me!" AJ yelled.

"What the fuck are you two playing at?" Punk asked, putting AJ down, holding her back, "This isn't the streets." He warned as Sam got to her feet, wiping her bloody nose.

"Get her out of my house." AJ warned as Punk looked over at Sam.

"You heard her." Punk said, "Get out." He nodded as Sam looked over.

"I'm going." Sam said, walking out of the kitchen as AJ watched angrily. She hadn't snapped like that since she was young.

"What the hell was that about?" Punk shook his head, turning to AJ, "April, you're head." He reminded her.

"Is still on my shoulders, it's fine." AJ said, pacing the kitchen a little too cool off.

"No, April you're gonna end up back in hospital if you carry on like that. What if you hit your head? Or my mom hit you? You're being stupid right now-"

"Phil, please… stop." AJ nodded, "You can see I'm mad, don't make it worse." She stared at him angrily as he looked across at her.

"No, I will… I care about your health, April. You should too." He warned, "What the hell was all of that about? What did she say?"

"Just give me some space." AJ shook her head, leaving the kitchen, too angry and upset to even have a conversation, storming upstairs leaving Punk in the kitchen wondering what the hell happened.

* * *

"Hey, I've made some tostadas if you want some." Sean said, walking into the living room where Jude was sitting on the couch.

"I'm ok just now, maybe later." Jude smiled as he nodded, "Is Mirren ok?" She wondered. She hadn't really been caring for their daughter as much as she knew she should have. Sean was pretty much doing everything. The feeding, changing, winding and putting her down to sleep. She felt pretty distant from her daughter, but she supposed that was only normal given how she had been feeling.

"She's all good. Fed, changed and down for the night." Sean smiled, sitting down beside her on the couch.

"You're good at this." Jude smiled, "Probably gonna have to catch me up to speed." She thought to herself.

"No, you got this." Sean assured her, "Look, I… I understand if you don't wanna talk about it but, are you at least feeling a little more positive about therapy and going twice a week?" He wondered.

"I mean… it was one session." She reminded him as he nodded, "Tracy is lovely. She's bright and sweet. Kind." Jude said, "And she didn't get grossed out when I started blowing snot bubbles whilst crying." She said as Sean wrapped his arm around her, "But it was still hard. And I guess it just reminds me of all the therapy and all the process when I was raped." She said, "Tracy said that's PTSD, more so than it is depression." She said as Sean nodded.

"You just gotta take it one small step at a time. Like you've done before." Sean nodded, kissing her head.

"Only this time it's not just me, though." Jude said, "Mirren needs me. And I… I don't wanna be a mom who struggles to bond with her baby. I already feel like I've really let her down and she's only been here for two weeks." She shook her head.

"Hey, you've not let her down." Sean shook his head, "You've had a hard time. You've been emotionally drained and you need to focus on you, not just her. That's important." He said, "A happy and healthy you is… ultimately what she needs-"

"And I'm neither right now." Jude figured.

"You're getting through it." Sean said, "And I'm so proud that my little girl has the strongest mom ever. She is so lucky to have you." He nodded as she smiled.

"I wanna get better for her." Jude nodded. Being on medication for a few days and having her first therapy session, she was aware of her role as a mom suffering in all of this, and she didn't want that. She wanted to be better for her baby girl. She was just struggling to get there.

"You will." Sean nodded, "She ain't going anywhere and neither am I." He promised.

"Thank you for always being there for me." Jude nodded. She wasn't sure if she said it enough, but she felt incredibly lucky to have him by her side. She wasn't going to degrade herself and say that she came with a lot of baggage, but she knew Sean had seen her at her absolute worst, and somehow that had always made them closer.

"You don't have to thank me." Sean shook his head, "I love you." He nodded as she smiled.

"I love you too." Jude sighed, curling into him as he kissed her head. It was one small step at a time for now.


	70. Final Say

**Final Say**

* * *

"April." Punk knocked on the bathroom door in their bedroom, "Ape, come out and talk to me. Tell me what the hell just happened." He insisted.

"Just give me a minute, Phil." AJ sighed to herself, sitting down on the bathroom floor, resting her forehead against her tucked up knees.

"No. No minutes. Either let me in or come out." Punk said.

AJ rolled her eyes, reaching up and unlocking the door, watching as he walked into the bathroom, looking down at her and noticing her eyes red and puffy.

"It's my fault, isn't it?" AJ looked up at him.

"What are you talking about? Please… Please don't cry." Punk sighed, crouching down in front of her, wiping her face.

"It's my fault." AJ nodded, "You said it yourself, I'm… I've been the sole provider for the girls, right? Over the years. The important ones anyway." She said, "All these things that have happened to them. It's my fault." She shook her head, "I'm their mother, I should… I should have protected them better." She said as Punk looked at her with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Punk shook his head, "Is that what my mom said to you?" He questioned angrily as AJ nodded, "And you're gonna believe her? My mom?"

"She's right." AJ shook her head.

"No… no she isn't." Punk took her hands with force, "You listen to me, you've kept this family together, you've kept our kids safe from the second they were born until now, it's you who's gotten them through things, nursed them back to good health, been a shoulder to cry on… you. Nobody else." He said.

"Thea was doing drugs at seventeen. What does that say about me as a mom?" AJ questioned, "And she was pregnant and I didn't even know anything about it."

"April if it wasn't for you I don't know if Thea would still be here today." Punk emphasised as she looked at him, "Ok? Do you understand that? You got her through that. You did." He said as AJ sighed to herself, placing her hand over her forehead.

"And what about Jude?" AJ whispered to herself, Sam's words playing in her mind, torturing her with unnecessary doubts and questions, "Jackson… Jackson raped her. I let Jackson into our lives. I let him near Thea. You told me about him and what he'd done and I… I let him into our lives. That was my fault!" AJ exclaimed.

"He was thirteen back then!" Punk shrieked with confusion, "You didn't know what he was gonna grow up to be and… what he was gonna do." He said, "He was Thea's friend, someone who… who was there for her at that time. That's why you let him in. Then he grew up and turned into what he did and that… that was not your fault, April. You can't possibly think that." He said as she groaned, placing her hands over her face.

"Cassie… Cassie had a gun put against her head when she was fifteen. Fifteen!" AJ yelled, "And that was because Rio wanted to get back at me for what I did to him all those years ago." She said, "That was my fault-"

"You're being ridiculous." Punk warned her, "You can't think every little thing was your fault, April. You've protected our kids and kept them safe all this time-"

"Does any of what I've just said to you sound safe?" AJ questioned.

"It sounds like… our kids have had a hard time, they've been hurt… and you've been there every time to help them." Punk said, "I am not about to let you take my mom's words to heart. My mom who doesn't even know what it means to be a mom." He said.

"She said they've all turned out like me when I was young." AJ looked at him.

"Oh, really? So they've turned out to be amazing, strong, badass women? Great." Punk nodded as AJ rolled her eyes.

"That's not how I remember me." AJ shook her head.

"Look at me." Punk nodded as she looked up and stared across at him, "My mom, when she's hurting and when she's mad, can be hurtful and spiteful. She is a lonely, bitter old woman who is incapable of forming any… real, genuine relationships with anyone. She should look up to you as a woman. You could teach her a thing or two about… being a mother and… just a decent human being actually." He said.

"I used to think you were harsh on her." AJ nodded, "I got to know her more when you were in prison. She was… nice to me. She would sit and let me talk to her. She'd actually give advice sometimes that… made sense." She said, "And now it's like she's just attacking me-"

"Her back's up against the wall because she got exposed. Which means she's gonna tear down everyone around her to make her feel better. It's what she does, April. I know her." Punk said.

"She initially came here to talk to you." AJ said, "She'll say things that… that make sense. Like how she didn't want to be any more of a disappointment to you and Dean, that's why she never told you about what really happened with your dad and that night he was arrested. And I try put myself in her shoes and I can…. I can try sympathise." She said, "But then I see through it all and it's like she's just saying all of that to make herself feel better about it. She never takes any responsibility-"

"I know. I've lived it." Punk nodded, "But I've always gotten over it. At least… I think I have. But what I'm not about to do is let her say things to you that makes you question yourself and your abilities as a mother. Otherwise… I'll take you back over to her place and you can give her a burst lip to match her burst nose." He nodded as AJ laughed a little through her tears, which caused him to smile.

"Felt good." She mumbled, drying her tears.

"I bet." Punk nodded, "I know she can say decent things every now and then, and she can… show her heart sometimes. But she is selfish and she'll always do whatever she needs to do to make sure she doesn't feel at fault. I mean she's never took the blame for how me and Dean grew up. It's always an excuse about her being in debt, having a drug addiction, being poor." He shook his head, "And her lying about my dad and what happened that night he was arrested is just the cherry on top of all of it." He said.

"It makes me sad because she has been there for me at horrible times in my life." AJ shook her head, "I thought… I thought she valued me in her life-"

"When it's convenient for her." Punk corrected as AJ sighed to herself, "I just never want you to believe a word that comes out of her mouth." He said.

"We've always treated her fairly. We've always invited her to things. Kept her in the loop even when I know you didn't want to." AJ shook her head, "She had her chance to be a part of this family, and it's like she does everything in her power to keep her distance."

"I don't need her in my life. We don't need her." Punk reminded her, "Jokes on us for being too nice over the years. This is our family. We built this. All she's ever done is hurt me and my brother and I… I'm not gonna let her hurt you." He made clear, cupping her cheek softly as AJ rested into it.

He was trying not to show just how angry he was. There was no way he was letting his mother speak to his wife like this and upset her this way.

* * *

Punk managed to get AJ out of the bathroom and into bed where she fell asleep pretty quickly after complaining of a painful headache she'd no doubt gotten from crying. He helped her take some medication and got her into bed, only hoping she'd get the rest her head needed.

Once she was asleep he left the house, locking the door behind him and getting into the car, driving to his mother's house and getting out once arriving.

He walked up to the door, opening it up and walking on in, making his way through the house where he eventually found her sitting holding a bag of ice to her nose whilst a half drank bottle of wine sat in front of her.

"You didn't bring that rabid wife of yours, did you?" Sam shook her head.

"You listen to me." Punk said seriously, "I don't want you anywhere near my family ever again. You stay the hell away from April and you stay the hell away from me." Punk warned as Sam looked over at him, "How dare you-"

"How dare I?" Sam began to chuckle.

"How dare you!" Punk yelled angrily as Sam looked at him with fright, "April was right. You've had chances. You've had time to… become part of this family. And you still can't do it." He said, "Don't you dare come to my house and talk to my wife the way you did tonight-"

"You act like she's some God, it's so boring." Sam shook her head.

"She's my wife." Punk said, "She's the best thing that ever happened to me. You and I both know why you said those things tonight." He nodded.

"And why's that, Phil?" Sam asked.

"Because you're jealous." Punk nodded, "You're jealous you'll never even be close to half the woman she is." He said, "She's always intimidated you." He knew that to be a fact.

"Maybe I am jealous." Sam shrugged, "I've said it before, I'll say it again… I know what disappointment I am to you and your brother. I know what a terrible mother I am." She understood, "But I kept that information from you both about your father and everything that happened that night because it benefited all of us. Not just me-"

"Please." Punk shook his head, "You're unbelievable."

"What good would it have done, Phil? He was in prison. If I told you boys the truth when you were old enough, it wouldn't have mattered anyway-"

"That's not the point. You don't get it. You still don't. You're our mother. Do you have any idea how much I just wanted you to be our mom back then?" Punk shook his head, his voice breaking a little as Sam looked at him with shock, "How much I just wanted you to be sober for one day and… spend time with us. Do something with us." He said, "You wanna know why April means so damn much to me? Because she took care of me." He said as Sam looked at him, "She made time for me. She valued me. You never, ever did." He shook his head.

"Phil-"

"No… no, nothing you can ever say now will fix any of this. It is way, way too late." He made clear, quickly wiping his eyes from the tears, "I can't even imagine treating my daughters the way you treated me and Dean as kids. And the… the sad thing is, at one point, I was almost starting to forgive you." He nodded, "In the hospital when you sat with me and you talked to me." He said, "And you acted like my mom for the first time in your life."

"Phil, I carry my shame with me every day-"

"No, save it… you… you don't get to have your say. I'm done." Punk shook his head, "You stay away from my wife and my family. You are a… messed up woman. You always have been." He said, backing out of the kitchen and leaving the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry, more still to come! As always, thank you for the support and reviews!**


	71. Therapy

**Therapy**

* * *

"If I say the word trust to you, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?" Tracy asked, sitting in her office with Jude, "What's the first thing that jumps right into your head?" She asked.

"My mom." Jude nodded as Tracy smiled.

"You're close to your mom?" Tracy asked as Jude nodded.

"Yeah." Jude said, "She always knows what to say." She nodded, tucking her hands up into her hoodie, pulling her knees up to her chest as she sat on the comfy chair.

"Why do you trust her so much?" Tracy asked.

"I don't know… shouldn't everyone trust their mom?" Jude shrugged.

"Well they should be able to, yeah. Not everyone can." Tracy said.

"I guess throughout my life, things have changed, things have happened, good and bad." She said, "And my mom's always been the one constant thing in my life." She nodded, "She's just always been around." She shrugged.

"And your dad?" Tracy asked, "Is he in the picture?"

"Yeah, yeah he's in the picture." Jude nodded, "He went to prison when I was seven. Got out when I was fifteen." She said.

"I see." Tracy nodded.

"But he's always been there for me. Even in prison. I… used to take my homework into the visiting room. He'd help me." Jude remembered, "I used to sneak him snacks too." She smiled fondly, "You can get away with a lot more when you're a kid." She said.

"Yeah, for sure." Tracy chuckled a little, "Sounds like you have a good relationship with him."

"I do." Jude agreed, "They've always done their best for me and my sisters. I recognise that more as I've grown up." She said.

"Some people can hold things against their parents if they deal with trauma later in life. Some people trace it back to their parents and… it feels better to blame them." Tracy said.

"I don't blame them for anything." Jude shook her head, "I really don't."

"That's good." Tracy nodded, "What about your sisters? Remind me of their names again?"

"Thea is my big sister. Cassie is my little sister." Jude said.

"So you were in the middle?" Tracy asked as Jude nodded.

"Yeah." Jude said.

"Did you ever feel like you were… in the middle?" She asked as Jude looked across at her.

"Sometimes." Jude nodded, "When my big sister was ill, she had a drug addiction when she was a teenager." She explained, "I kinda felt like I was invisible, maybe." She nodded, "My mom would be trying to split herself in half. Take care of my big sister and… my little sister. I feel like maybe I kinda got mixed up in the shuffle." She shrugged.

"What age were you when your sister was ill?" Tracy asked.

"Eleven." Jude nodded, "I uh… I found her one time in her room. She was taking a seizure. She was… choking on her own vomit." She said, "I just… I remember thinking she was gonna die. I was sure of it." She said.

"That must have been hard to see." Tracy nodded.

"It was." Jude said, "And I couldn't understand why she did it. I was mad at her. I was mad that she was doing that to herself and all of us had to just stand by and watch." She said, "But she's been clean for a lot of years, thank you very much. And she's always been there for me." Jude nodded.

"Sounds like you really have a good support system around you." Tracy smiled.

"Yeah that's why this is always so difficult. I don't want them to feel like they've not done enough. And that I have to come here as a last resort." Jude shook her head.

"What you're dealing with right now… depression, PTSD, anxiety… none of that gets cured with a good family, unfortunately." Tracy nodded, "But it certainly goes a long way." She said as Jude nodded, "What about your boyfriend?" She asked.

"Fiancé actually." Jude nodded.

"Oh, forgive me… and congratulations." Tracy smiled.

"Yeah, he proposed after I had Mirren." Jude nodded.

"That's sweet." Tracy nodded, "How did you both meet?"

"I met him at the police station." Jude said, "I was there with my sister, we were there to report something and… he was there." She smiled to herself, "I got his number and it went from there." She said.

"Was this before or after you were attacked?" Tracy asked.

"Before. Just a couple months before, actually." Jude said, "I never expected him to stick around. I really didn't."

"Why not?" Tracy asked.

"Well I felt like he barely knew me and… now I have this thing I have to carry around me all the time-"

"This thing? What thing?" Tracy shook her head.

"Well… being raped." Jude said, "It's like, it's always with me. Like it's become part of who I am."

"You know that's just not true, though. Right?" Tracy asked.

"But it's what I feel. Whether it's true to you or not. It's how I feel." Jude said, "It's always there. And yes, I know it was something traumatic and it probably won't ever leave me but… I can only go so much with it controlling me and my life." She shook her head.

"But… your fiancé did stay with you. You guys are clearly very happy and he clearly doesn't look at you as someone who was raped. He… He probably looks at you as someone he loves, someone he wants to spend his life with, someone he wants to raise a family with." Tracy said as Jude looked across at her, "And you're worth all of that, Jude. You really are." She emphasised.

"I thought this part of my life would be when I… I could start to move on. Really move on." Jude said.

"And you don't feel like you're moving on?" Tracy asked.

"Feel like I'm going backwards, actually." Jude shook her head as Tracy looked across at her, "Like it's getting worse."

"You have any idea why that might be?" Tracy asked.

"I don't know, I… for so long I've just had to take care of me, and keep myself sane, and keep moving forward." Jude nodded to herself, "And that was difficult but I managed it." She shrugged, "Now I have Mirren. And she needs my attention. She deserves my attention."

"And she'll get it." Tracy nodded, "It's about a balance. You can still be a hands on mother and take care of yourself. Unfortunately it can be something mother's forget to do from time to time." She said, "But it's manageable. I'll help you with it." She assured her as Jude nodded.

"I hate the way it sounds. As if… she's the problem." Jude shook her head, trying to keep her tears at bay as Tracy reached over to the glass table where some tissues were, ripping some out and handing them over to Jude.

"I know that's not how you feel, and I bet your family know that's not how you feel." Tracy said, watching as Jude dried her tears with the tissue.

"I just hate that he did this to me." Jude looked at her, "He left this with me. He's making me live with this for the rest of my life and… for what? What did I do?" She shook her head.

"You didn't do anything." Tracy shook her head.

"And it's always… oh, did she lose her friends that night? Was she a bit drunk? Was she wearing a skirt? Was she flirting with him?" Jude rolled her eyes, "What about the real simple answer that… a rapist raped me. Why is it so hard for people to believe that?" She shook her head as Tracy looked across at her.

"Because society has this weird thing about not wanting to believe there inhumane individuals out there who are capable of such a… violent act. No one wants to think that someone could just rape someone, but it happens, every day." She nodded, "Most likely the rapist is someone the victim will know-"

"Yeah, well… check." Jude nodded.

"Are you ok talking about him?" Tracy wondered.

"Yeah, I should be fine. He's dead so… it's easier." Jude nodded bluntly.

"When did you first meet him?" Tracy asked as Jude looked across at her.

"When I was seven years old." Jude nodded, biting the corner of her mouth to keep herself from crying anymore, "I thought he was nice. He was kind to me. Funny. He was there for my sister when our dad went to prison. I thought he was… a really good person." She said, "Sometimes I think there were two different people. The Jackson I knew as a kid and then… the other one."

"Did he spend a lot of time with you as a kid?" Tracy asked.

"Yeah, well… average, I guess. He started dating my sister so he was around a lot more, until he tried to… kidnap her and beat her up." Jude shook her head, "That's when the shift happened, I guess."

"Did you ever see him after he attacked you?" Tracy asked.

"No… no, he was dead before I got the chance." Jude said as Tracy nodded.

"If you'd gotten the chance to look him in the eye and say something… what would it be?" Tracy asked, scribbling some things down in her notebook.

"I just wanted to know why." Jude shook her head, "Why did he drug me and… rape me?" She said, "I'd want him to feel what I feel. And I'd want him to know that my life has never been the same since. I feel like a completely different person to who I was before. And I don't really know how. I just feel different." She said as Tracy nodded.

"Do you remember your attack?" Tracy asked her.

"Some of it, yeah." Jude nodded, "Not in full."

"Do you ever get… flashbacks? Nightmares?" She asked.

"Yeah, from time to time." Jude nodded, "I can be lying in bed sometimes, on my back, and I just feel like something heavy is on me. Like I'm suffocating." She said as Tracy nodded, "I haven't been to a bar at night since it happened. Not even with Sean." She said, "I know that nothing bad will happen to me but… I'm still terrified." She shook her head as Tracy nodded.

"I assume it's because you have associated it with your attack." Tracy said, "Is there anything else you can't do? Or anything you've changed?"

"I don't eat Christmas dinner." Jude nodded, "My mom makes me tacos instead." She laughed a little through her tears, "The first Christmas after my attack, we all had tacos." She smiled as Tracy smiled too, "It's just reminders, you know." She dried her eyes.

"What are some things that help you? What's something that is guaranteed to take your mind off of things?" Tracy wondered. She was still trying to get to know Jude and get a sense of who she was as a person.

"Painting, drawing… whenever I'm looking at art or… doing it, I suppose." Jude nodded.

"You're an artist?" Tracy asked.

"It always sounds so big headed when you say it aloud but… yeah, I teach art at the institute." Jude said, "And I do some stuff on my own."

"And that's what always helps you?" Tracy asked.

"Yeah, that and hiking." Jude nodded, "I've not gotten to do much of either recently. And again that sounds like I'm blaming my poor two week old daughter but… it's way more to do with me than it is her." She shook her head.

"You'll find time to do those things again." Tracy nodded, "Right now you've just… you've hit a bit of a wall." She said, "What kind of things do you like to paint?"

"Uh… anything, really. I guess it depends where my head is at. I painted Mirren's nursery like a safari. Well… I've still to finish it actually." She realised.

"You did? That's incredible. Like a mural?" Tracy asked.

"Yeah. Monkey's, giraffe's, tigers… when she gets older she'll probably hate it." Jude laughed a little.

"That's amazing you can do that." Tracy nodded, "I think Mirren is gonna have a lot of fun with you when it comes to arts and crafts time." She smiled.

"I hope so." Jude laughed a little. She felt safe talking to Tracy. It was incredibly hard to open up and talk about things again, but she did feel weight lifting from her shoulders in some form.


	72. Visiting

**Visiting**

* * *

"_Ok, in through those doors there." AJ told six year old Jude, pointing to a set of swing doors after signing in at the front door, eight months pregnant and struggling to keep up with her daughter's energy._

"_These ones!" Jude pointed as AJ nodded._

"_Yeah, those ones." AJ nodded, following her through the doors, "Come take my hand." She said as Jude looked back, waiting on her mother catching up and taking her hand._

"_Why did Thea not want to come?" Jude asked with confusion._

"_She was just busy with homework." AJ said briefly, brushing her hand through her daughter's dark hair, "She'll come next time." She nodded hopefully._

"_That means I have daddy all to myself." Jude smiled with glee as AJ nodded._

"_Ok, through here." AJ guided her, walking into the prisons visitation room, looking on at other families sitting around tables. She couldn't quite get used to this. It had only been a few months and she couldn't think about doing this for years to come. It was like real torture. But Jude had no idea. She was too young get to understand her father was in prison._

"_Mommy, my snacks are falling out of my hoodie." Jude worried, feeling the large middle pocket of her hoodie carefully._

"_Don't let them see." AJ reminded as Jude nodded._

"_It's a secret." Jude nodded to herself, taking a seat at the empty table, taking her backpack off and sitting it at her feet._

_AJ watched as Punk walked out of one of the side doors where he normally came from, noticing he had a black eye and sighing to herself, watching him approach the table._

"_Hey." Punk smiled cheerfully. He'd learned how to put on an excellent brave face for his daughters. Jude bought it. Thea, not so much._

"_Daddy, what's wrong with your eye?" Jude noticed immediately. She was very observant._

"_Oh, I just bumped it." Punk said calmly, lifting her up for a hug as she squeezed him tightly, "How was school?" He asked, hugging her tightly. Sometimes he just didn't want to let go. The only comfort he got out of his days was this precious hour he was allowed with his family. _

"_It was fine." Jude said, "I had a burger for lunch and I ate it all." She told him proudly._

"_No way." Punk shook his head teasingly._

"_I did!" Jude insisted as he put her down, "And I drank all my milk."_

"_Damn, let me see those muscles." Punk put his hands on his hips as she flexed her arms for him, "Hell yeah." Punk nodded as Jude giggled, "Has mommy been drinking her milk?"_

"_No, just coffee." Jude said, climbing up onto her chair whilst Punk looked over to AJ._

"_Hey." Punk said a little more quietly, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head._

"_Hey." AJ sighed. She wasn't sure how he was being so brave. How he could put on such a brave face for the girls, and even for her, "What happened?" She asked quietly, cupping his face and looking closely at his bruised eye._

"_It's alright." He assured her._

"_I didn't ask if it was ok. I asked what happened?" AJ looked up at him._

"_It's a black eye. What do you think happened?" Punk whispered as AJ sighed. She couldn't really put into words how much it broke her heart to see him like this. To have him locked away from them like he was some caged animal._

"_Daddy I have homework." Jude announced, getting his attention, pulling out her notebook from her bookbag as well as some pencils and pens._

"_Are you gonna teach me some things?" Punk smiled, sitting down at the table as AJ sat beside Jude. They had agreed, as parents, that there was to be no talk about prison or the situation they were in with the girls, especially Jude. Thea was no fool. She was thirteen and knew exactly what prison was for. _

"_I have spelling." Jude said, opening up her notebook as Punk watched, looking at her notebook which had drawings all over it._

"_Are you allowed to draw pictures all over your notebook?" He chuckled a little._

"_No, but I do it anyway." Jude nodded as Punk smiled, "I drew this today whilst my teacher was talking." She showed him the picture of what appeared to be a sunshine._

"_That's the finest looking sun I've ever seen." Punk smiled as Jude giggled._

"_Daddy, I brought you snacks too." Jude told him in a whisper as he laughed a little, "Sour Patch Kids." She smiled, "In my hoodie." She looked down to make sure she still had them hidden._

"_My favourite." Punk nodded, "You can slip them to me before you leave." He said as she nodded. She was too young to understand the sadness in what was happening. She was young and her mind was filled with positives. _

_AJ looked over at Punk, wondering how he was managing inside, wondering how he was living without their children, wondering how hard it had to have been to come out here and sit across from them like some detained thug. She hated it. If not for her, for their daughters and soon to be newborn baby._

"_I need a colourful pencil." Jude announced, looking in her pencil case as AJ smiled, looking over at Punk who smiled too._

"_You like colours, huh?" Punk smiled._

"_Yes. All colours." Jude nodded, picking a pencil up, "I like when the page is pretty." She smiled to herself as Punk laughed a little._

"_I know you do, baby." He smiled, watching her as she began her spelling, "So what did you do at school today?" Punk asked her, watching as she concentrated on her spelling._

"_I did some math sums." Jude told him, "But most of them were wrong." She said sadly. _

"_Hey, that's ok. You never have to get it right first time." He assured her as AJ smiled, cupping the back of her daughter's head sweetly, "So uh… where is your big sister?" He asked, looking over at AJ._

"_She's busy with homework, mommy said." Jude told him as Punk nodded slowly, turning to AJ who just shook her head._

"_Well at least she's doing it." Punk nodded, "So what's for dinner?" He asked Jude, "You cooking?" He teased._

"_No." Jude scoffed, "Mommy is." She said as AJ nodded._

"_Yeah, no change there." AJ smiled a little, "I don't know, baby what do you want?"_

"_Just surprise me." Jude mumbled as AJ and Punk smiled, "Is that right?" She asked, passing her notebook over to Punk for him to look._

"_Hey, look at that. All perfect." Punk nodded as Jude smiled happily._

_Meanwhile AJ watched as one of the prison guards walked over to their table, standing over Punk as Punk eventually looked up._

"_I'm gonna have to ask you to put that away." The guard nodded as AJ looked over._

"_What?" Punk questioned._

"_The pencils. No sharp objects." The guard said as Jude looked at AJ with confusion._

"_Seriously?" Punk looked up, "She's just doing her homework." Punk said._

"_And I'm just telling you, it's gotta go away." The guard nodded as Punk stood up._

"_Phil." AJ warned with concern._

"_She's seven. I'm helping her with her homework." Punk said, "I'm not interested in taking her pencils." Punk made clear as the guard looked at him, turning to Jude who sat quietly with confusion, trying to hurry her pencils back into her pencil case worriedly._

"_Fine." He said, "But you'll be strip searched before you go back in." The guard warned._

"_Whatever." Punk said, sitting back down at the table as the guard looked over at AJ, smiling a little before walking away._

"_Who is that?" AJ shook her head._

"_Just one of the wardens for my wing." Punk shook his head, "Idiot." He muttered, helping Jude take her pencils back out, "Finish your spelling, babe. It's ok." Punk nodded whilst AJ looked over at the warden, looking back at Punk and staring at his black eye with worry._

* * *

"_I don't want mac and cheese for dinner." Jude huffed, walking through the door to their house with AJ after getting home from visiting Punk._

"_Well what do you want? What about chicken?" AJ asked her as Jude shook her head._

"_No… no, I want tacos." Jude nodded, jumping up and down excitedly._

"_Babe, you had tacos last night… and the night before." AJ said, "Something different tonight. You gotta eat more veg." She nodded, flicking Jude's chin playfully as Jude crouched down to take her converse off._

"_Who likes veg?" Jude muttered to herself whilst AJ threw the keys into the pot by the door, looking up as she saw Thea walking downstairs._

"_What are you doing home?" AJ questioned, looking on at her thirteen year old daughter coming downstairs, "You said you were going to a… friend's." AJ said quietly as she noticed Jackson coming downstairs behind Thea._

"_Hi, Jackson!" Jude smiled as Jackson laughed a little._

"_Hey, Jude." Jackson nodded politely, "Mrs Brooks." He looked at AJ._

"_It's Mendez." AJ said, "And… April is fine." She said, looking at Thea, "You're not supposed to be in the house on your own."_

"_We just got back." Thea shrugged, "Can Jackson stay for dinner?" She asked as AJ looked at Thea. It was hard keeping her cool. She didn't want to hate a thirteen year old boy, but she couldn't help blame him for her husband's arrest. But she also knew when he was around, Thea somehow acted like herself, and she wanted that. She didn't think he was a bad kid…_

"_I can just go." Jackson insisted._

"_No, you're fine." AJ nodded, "You can stay." She said, looking at Thea who smiled, "Mac and cheese." She said._

"_No!" Jude complained sadly as Thea shook her head, rolling her eyes._

"_Mommy, it smells like feet, don't make me eat it." Jude begged, taking her mother's hand._

"_You're ridiculous." AJ laughed. The girls kept her going that was for sure, "Go put your bookbag upstairs and come help me make it." She nodded, "Have you done all your homework?" She looked at Thea who was standing on the stairs half way up with Jackson._

"_Yeah, I did it earlier." Thea nodded._

"_Ok, good." AJ nodded, "Well dinner won't be too long." She said, making her way down the hall into the kitchen. Sometimes, honestly, she felt numb. It was just about getting by._

_Jude grabbed her bookbag and immediately went running upstairs as Jackson laughed a little, turning to Thea._

"_What is she in a rush for?" He laughed a little, walking back upstairs with her._

"_That's… just how she is." Thea shook her head but with a smile._


	73. Small Steps

**Small Steps**

* * *

"How's the head?" Punk asked, standing in the kitchen as he watched AJ enter with messy bed hair, still in her pyjamas, one of his favourite sights to see.

"Every time I walk into a room you don't have to ask me." AJ assured him, sitting down at the table as he smiled a little.

"I know. I do it to annoy you." Punk smirked cheekily as she shook her head, "Here. Get these down you." He passed her over a glass of orange juice and her medication.

"I'm sick of pills." AJ groaned, taking the glass and pills from him.

"I know you are. But you gotta take them." Punk said, "And you also have that appointment with doctor Burns tomorrow morning. I've got the day off to take you-"

"I know how public transport works." AJ rolled her eyes.

"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Punk hummed.

"No, you just woke up on the right one for once." AJ said suspiciously, watching as he poured himself more coffee, "I'm gonna go visit Jude later, see how she's doing." She nodded.

"You think the therapy is going well with her? I know last time it took a few weeks for her to notice a difference." Punk said.

"Well, it's not like it's an instant cure." AJ said, "But… I'm sure it has to help her in some way. Talking about everything. Ironically, she'll probably be willing to open up more to a stranger. You know how she is, she doesn't wanna hurt anyone's feelings." She shook her head as Punk nodded.

"Well, give her a big hug and kiss from me. I wish I could come but I got work." Punk said, "I'm off the weekend, though so tell her I'll come by and see her." He said as AJ nodded.

"I will." AJ nodded, "Are you going to keep avoiding the subject of your dad?" She asked him as he sat down a coffee for her.

"My who?" Punk teased, looking at her as she scoffed, "Don't worry, me and Dean have been talking about it a lot recently at work. We're gonna go to his house soon and talk to him."

"And what have you decided?" AJ questioned.

"There's nothing I can gain from a relationship with him. It's… it's just way too late." He shook his head, "And there's just too much that has happened."

"Does Dean feel the same?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "It's not gonna be easy. Explaining to him… I don't know if he's got expectations of having a relationship with us. And I don't wanna crush that for him but he… he still left us. Yeah, ok… he did come back but then he was gone again before we even knew he'd come back." Punk shrugged as AJ nodded, "There's just too much there and… to build a relationship with him now, I just… I don't think I can do it." He shook his head.

"That's ok." AJ assured him, "It's your decision. It has been a really long time." She said, "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."

"Yeah, maybe." Punk nodded, "But if the girls are interested in getting to know them, I'm not gonna stand in the way of that. Just like I did with my mom-"

"Yeah well it's safe to say the girls aren't going to visit your mom anymore." AJ shook her head, "Not after the way she's treated us and spoken to them, about them." She said. Neither she or Punk had spoken to Sam since that night where they both took turns of ripping her apart. They were sure she'd pop up soon.

"Well that's her fucking problem. It always is." Punk shook his head.

"So when are you going to see your dad?" AJ asked.

"Sometime this week probably." Punk nodded.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She asked him.

"We're big boys, I'm sure we'll be fine." Punk smiled, "I want you to be taking it easy and resting your head." He nodded.

"It's rested." AJ insisted, "You need to stop fussing. I'm fine." She made clear as Punk shook his head but with a smile, "I gotta go to Thea's first before I go see Jude to drop off some things she's left."

"Then I'll drop you off on my way to work. I don't want you hopping on buses all day." Punk scoffed as AJ smiled.

* * *

"I'll see you when you get home." AJ said, sitting in the passenger's side of the car as Punk pulled up to Thea's new house to drop her off, "Have a good day." She said, leaning over and kissing him as he kissed back.

"Give all the children you see love from me." Punk nodded as she smiled.

"I will." AJ smiled, getting out of the car.

"And mind the head!" He yelled as AJ slammed the door over mid-sentence, her stubborn self-choosing to ignore him as she headed into her daughter's house with a few bags, dumping them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey." AJ called, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen, opening the door where she saw an unpleasant sight between her daughter and son-in-law, "Jesus! Thea!" AJ yelled, immediately turning around and closing the kitchen door back over.

"Mom!" Thea exclaimed, "What the hell?" She gasped, flustered and embarrassed as she jumped down from the kitchen counter, fixing her clothes as Dominic pulled his jeans up and done his fly.

"You knew I was coming!" AJ yelled, still standing on the opposite end of the door, too afraid to walk back in.

"Well I… I didn't notice the time." Thea complained, looking over at the clock and rolling her eyes.

"I might just go out the back door." Dominic nodded with embarrassment.

"Don't be ridiculous." Thea scoffed, "Mom, you can come in now." She shook her head as AJ opened up the door, looking at them both.

"Where are the kids?" AJ questioned with concern.

"James is at school and Sofia is having her afternoon nap." Thea shrugged, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly as AJ looked at them both.

"You eat in here." AJ scoffed.

"I sure do." Dominic mumbled as Thea elbowed him in the gut but with a small smile.

"What are you even doing here?" Thea shook her head.

"I came to drop off those bags with your stuff. I text you last night." AJ reminded her, "Come on, babe, I'm the one who is supposed to have the head injury here." She said.

"Sorry, I… I forgot." Thea shook her head.

"I better get back to work." Dominic announced.

"Yeah, you better." AJ nodded strictly as Dominic turned to Thea with embarrassment.

"I'll see you later." Dominic nodded to her, walking on by AJ, nodding to her before slipping out of the kitchen and heading back to work.

"I thought you said you were going to see Jude today." Thea said.

"I am. I was just dropping that stuff off." AJ said, "I'm just going to see how she's doing. How her therapy has been going." She said.

"I spoke to her on the phone last night. She's definitely sounding a lot brighter." Thea nodded positively, "Not one hundred percent herself but… I mean, she's only had a few sessions. It's not like she's gonna be instantly better." She said, "You want a coffee?"

"No, I won't stay too long." AJ shook her head, "Your dad and Dean are gonna talk to Daniel sometime this week."

"Oh, yeah?" Thea asked, making herself some coffee.

"Yeah, they're not… I don't think they're willing to develop any kind of relationship with him. I think it's a too little too late situation and… I don't even know where you'd start." AJ shook her head.

"I mean, it's their decision. Their dad." Thea nodded.

"But that doesn't mean that you girls aren't allowed to see him or go talk to him." AJ said.

"I don't know. I think it's even too little too late for us." Thea admitted, "So I can imagine how dad feels about it all. It's sad, really." Thea said, "I mean if he'd shown up twenty years earlier, I don't know, maybe it'd be different."

"Well… he was in prison then so he couldn't." AJ said as Thea nodded, "Speaking of prison…" She said curiously as Thea looked at her, "It's not my place, I know, but… has your dad ever talked to you about prison? About his time there and… things that happened?" She asked as Thea shook her head.

"No, he… he's never really spoken about prison before, not to me anyway." Thea folded her arms, "Why?"

"I don't know, I just… I just know that he's not even told me half of the stuff. And he still gets the odd nightmare from time to time." AJ said with concern.

"We all get nightmares, mom." Thea laughed a little, "Maybe it was a nightmare about monsters." She shrugged, pouring herself some coffee.

"It's about prison." AJ tutted, "He'll wake up sometimes and… it's like he thinks he's there." She shook her head.

"He's never talked to me about it. If he ever spoken about all of that to anyone, especially back then, you know who it would be."

* * *

"Hi, mom." Jude smiled, giving her mother a big hug as she arrived at the house later on.

"Hi, baby. How you doing?" AJ asked, cupping the back of Jude's head.

"I'm ok. What about you? How's your head?" Jude asked with concern.

"Still attached." AJ smiled, "Is Sean home?" She asked following Jude into the kitchen.

In just a couple of weeks, Jude already seemed brighter. It was relieving to see.

"He actually just went upstairs to have a nap." Jude nodded, "Mirren is down too."

"So… all is calm and peaceful then?" AJ smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so." Jude nodded, "Do you want some lunch?"

"Yeah, go on. I've not ate yet." AJ said, "You want some help?"

"No, I got it. You sit down." Jude said as AJ smiled, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"You look a lot brighter, Jude. Are you sleeping better?" AJ asked.

"A little, yeah." Jude nodded to her, taking some bread out to make sandwiches, "The therapy has been going well. Tracy's really great." She nodded positively.

Even just a few sessions with Tracy had already been taking so much weight from her. She forgot how good it felt when getting to talk about everything. She certainly didn't feel unstoppable and fearless, but every little step was progress. Washing her hair, changing clothes, eating proper meals at the proper times, that was the progress she was making and every step counted for something.

"I'm so glad it's helping." AJ nodded sincerely. It was heart-breaking to see the way Jude was. To see her finally getting help and feeling better was a positive for all of them.

"I'm not jumping for absolute joy." Jude reminded her, "But… I do feel better. I'm less tired, that's for sure." She said.

"And how are things with Mirren?" AJ asked. She knew her daughter so well and she knew that all of this, the fact Jude was finding it hard to bond with Mirren was really playing on her mind the most.

"Umm… I mean, Sean is still doing a lot of stuff." Jude shrugged, "I've still not bathed her yet. Or… been outside with her." She said as AJ nodded, "But I do the night feeds and… it's definitely better." She said. It was hard on her mind that she wasn't bonding with her baby the way she knew she should have been. It made her feel like a failure, and that's when the depression seeped in hard and uncontrollable.

"You have time." AJ said positively, "She's still so tiny. Little steps are good. You'll get there." She nodded.

"I guess that's the most difficult part of all of this." Jude admitted, sitting down at the table with her mother, sitting the lunch down, "I feel like I've lost all that time with her. I feel like I'm… I'm not getting to know her the way I should." She said, "She's never gonna be a newborn again. This is it. I won't get that time back." She sighed.

"You need to not be so hard on yourself." AJ placed her hand over her arm, "You're doing amazing. Seriously amazing. You ought to seen me when I'd just had Thea. I felt like I was doing every single thing wrong." She nodded, "But I think that's just the voice in your head trying to make you perfect and make sure you're doing everything right because… it means so much to you." She nodded, "You've not had it easy, and you're getting better. That's the most important thing right now." She said as Jude smiled.

"I'm just really glad I've had Sean and you guys to help me." Jude smiled. It did put into perspective how much she appreciated her fiancé and her family for always being there for her and giving her help in whatever way she needed it.

"We're always here." AJ smiled as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Jude smiled as AJ rubbed her arm sweetly.


	74. Support

**Support**

* * *

"What's going on in here?" Dominic smiled, walking into the living room after getting home from work, noticing his wife and two children lounging on the kitchen watching a movie. It was the best sight to come home to. His favourite people on the planet.

"We're watching Dumbo, daddy!" Sofia exclaimed, lying against her mother with her favourite blanket bundled in her arms whilst James sat on the other side of Thea, both in fresh pyjamas after bath time.

"Dumbo, huh?" Dominic smiled, looking at the TV, "This isn't the Dumbo I remember."

"It's a real ephelant." James mispronounced as Dominic laughed a little.

"Is that the same as an elephant?" Dominic smiled, looking over at Thea who smiled too, playing with her son's messy hair.

"That's what I said." James insisted as Dominic nodded.

"I think I prefer the cartoons." Dominic nodded, leaning against the door as he looked over at the TV.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Thea smiled, "You really can't beat a Disney cartoon." She shook her head, "I don't know about all this… CGI nonsense." She shook her head as Dominic chuckled.

"Maybe we're just getting old." Dominic suggested.

"Oh, I don't get old." Thea shook her head confidently as Dominic smiled.

"Shh, I can't hear!" James said with frustration as Thea raised her eyebrows, turning to Dominic who smiled.

"Sorry, baby." Thea smiled, nodding to Dominic towards the kitchen as she stood up, leaving them watching the movie as she headed into the kitchen with her husband, "How was work?"

"It was fine." Dominic nodded, "Did you get any further with the unpacking?"

"Yeah, I got a lot done today, actually. I got the kids rooms pretty much fully unpacked. Our room is all good. Basically all of upstairs is good to go." She nodded.

"I feel like I've not helped you with anything." Dominic said, angry with himself.

"You've been working." Thea shook her head, "And you know I like things to be done right." She shrugged.

"Oh, so you're saying I can't unpack boxes right?" Dominic asked her.

"Not really." Thea shook her head with a smile, "Have you recovered from this morning? With my mom?"

"I'm just glad it was her and not your dad." Dominic shook his head with relief as Thea chuckled, "Still embarrassing." He nodded as she smiled.

"My mom text me not long ago and said Jude is a lot brighter. She's still not one hundred percent, obviously but… she's doing better. I'm… I'm so glad to hear it." Thea shook her head.

"Yeah, me too." Dominic nodded, "She's always put so much pressure on herself. I remember when she was like fifteen, when we first started dating, she was applying for art school… didn't she drop like ten pounds?"

"Yeah, she used to get really sick when she was a kid with worrying." Thea nodded, "Like if she had a field trip the next day, she'd be up sick all night. Mom actually thought she had an illness or something." She shook her head, "She's always worried and… obviously with everything that's happened to her, it's sort of amplified." She said, "Just wish there was more you could do when she's feeling like that."

"Yeah, I know." Dominic nodded, "But if your mom said she's a lot brighter then… that's a good step forward. These things take time. And we're all there for her."

"Yeah." Thea nodded, "I was actually gonna suggest going out for lunch with her and Cassie. Maybe go and try some wedding dresses on, joke around a little." She shrugged, "I figured it could maybe get her out the house for a little while."

"That's a good idea." Dominic nodded, "Just ask her if she'd feel up to it." He said as Thea nodded.

"Weirdest thing too, my mom started asking me about if my dad ever talked to me about prison." She shook her head with confusion.

"Why is she asking that?" Dominic asked.

"She said he still has nightmares every now and then… he doesn't really talk about it much." Thea shrugged.

"And has he spoken to you about it?" Dominic asked, "About being in prison?"

"No. I mean, not more than what everyone else knows." Thea said, "If he was to tell anyone anything, especially back when he first got out, it would have been Jude." She nodded. She was positive of it.

"Why Jude?" Dominic asked.

"They were super close. She… She was the only one who kept visiting him when me and my mom stopped. She'd go after school or she'd get Sam to take her." Thea said, "And I was the brat who vowed not to speak to him ever again when he got out." She shrugged.

"Well that brat had been through a lot." Dominic said as Thea smiled, "Give her a break." He suggested as she nodded, "So… maybe your mom should ask Jude about it? Or… just ask your dad. I mean, it's not like your mom is afraid of him."

"Of course she's not but… I don't know, I get the feeling she doesn't really wanna hear about it. I mean, it was eight years in prison. That's… I can't even imagine the stuff he saw." She shook her head.

"Maybe he's just waiting on someone asking then." Dominic shrugged.

"No he's praying no one asks him, trust me." Thea nodded.

"Look, it's a terrible day when we have to start worrying about your mom and dad not communicating with each other." He scoffed, "They'll be fine and they'll talk." He assured as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Thea assured herself, "You wanna go watch Dumbo?" She asked him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Honestly? I'm kinda hoping they fall asleep soon so we can shift them off to bed… pick up where we left off in here." He nodded as she smiled.

"Oh, really? And what if I wanna watch Dumbo?" Thea asked him as Dominic chuckled.

"I mean… I can wait." Dominic nodded.

"You sure about that?" She smirked as he nodded, not convincing her at all as she chuckled, pressing a kiss against his lips as he kissed back, "They'll fall asleep soon." She assured him between pecking his lips as he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist.

* * *

"I walked in on Thea and Dominic doing it this morning." AJ announced as Punk sat at the kitchen table, eating some Chinese food.

"Well, I'm gonna ignore that and let you know I brought food home." Punk nodded.

"Like… I mean, they were going at it." AJ said as Punk looked at her.

"I'm eating." Punk said, "Oh and… even if I wasn't, I don't wanna know that." He said as AJ just laughed a little.

"What'd you get? Chinese?" AJ asked curiously and hungrily, taking her coat off.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "How was Jude?"

"God, I see such a difference in her already." AJ nodded, sitting down at the table across from him, "She really loves her therapist. Told me it was different than before. Focusing a lot more on her as a person instead of… her attack and her feelings. She said she thinks it is really lifting her mood." She said.

"Well that's good." Punk nodded with relief.

"She looks like she's definitely sleeping better." AJ said, "I think she's still struggling with Mirren, though." She nodded.

"She'll get used to it. She's had a rough time. She needs to give herself a chance." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I know. That's what I said." AJ nodded, listening to Cassie coming in the door from work.

"Hey." Cassie announced unenthusiastically as she walked into the kitchen tiredly.

"Hi, baby." AJ smiled, "You look exhausted." She cupped Cassie's cheek.

"I am exhausted." Cassie agreed, "Thank God I have a day off tomorrow." She shook her head, reaching over and taking some food from her father's plate as Punk paused and watched her.

"Were you raised to do that?" Punk asked.

"Oh, what's mine is yours." Cassie shook her head tiredly.

"I actually got you your own dinner. You don't have to take mine. It's over there." Punk pointed.

"Aren't you an angel." Cassie nodded, patting his head as Punk nodded to himself, "How was Jude?"

"She's doing better." AJ nodded positively whilst Cassie took out some Chinese take away boxes, plating up some food, having worked up an extremely big appetite after a tiring day.

"Thea text me about asking her if she wanted to go out for lunch soon and go try on some wedding dresses-"

"Uh… you guys can't go wedding dress shopping without me." AJ said immediately.

"Not serious wedding dress shopping." Cassie scoffed, "Just to do something fun and get her out the house for a couple hours."

"That's a good idea." Punk nodded to her.

"Well… just make sure she doesn't actually find a wedding dress she likes." AJ said jealously, "Because I wanna be there." She said as Punk just chuckled to himself.

"I just don't understand women." Punk hummed to himself.

"Eat your egg roll." AJ advised sternly as he nodded.

"Oh, also… your mom keeps calling the station." Cassie nodded to AJ.

"My mom?" AJ shook her head, "Saying what?"

"That if we don't arrest you for Robert's murder then she's going to sue the whole precinct." Cassie nodded to Punk.

"She's so dumb." AJ shook her head.

"I mean… I can sympathise. She's lost her husband-"

"Who tried to kill me… no no, who tried to kill all of us." Punk reminded her.

"I know but clearly he'd lost his marbles." Cassie said as AJ looked over.

"Or he just didn't have marbles to lose." Punk suggested as Cassie nodded.

"Well, possibly that." Cassie agreed as AJ looked over at them talking about it.

"Well what else did my mom say?" AJ butted in.

"She just keeps saying that it's injustice and… her husband was murdered in cold blood." Cassie rolled her eyes, "She's in denial."

"She always has been." AJ nodded, "Is she in Puerto Rico?" She asked as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah that's where the calls are coming in from." Cassie nodded, "I'm assuming they'll die out. She's not got a leg to stand on. If she wants to talk about cold blooded murder, that's what her husband was trying to achieve." She shook her head.

"I hope this isn't getting in the way of your job." AJ worried.

"It's not." Cassie assured her, "I've actually moved onto another case." She said.

"Check you." Punk smiled.

"Well go on, tell us what it is?" AJ smiled as Cassie looked at them.

"Some kids vandalised Abe Lincoln on Clark." Cassie said as Punk looked at her.

"Oh." AJ nodded slowly.

"Yeah, real juicy, Cass." Punk nodded sarcastically.

"Shut up." Cassie shoved his head from the back as he chuckled.

* * *

"How is she doing?" Sean asked Jude, walking into their bedroom where she was sitting up against the headboard feeding Mirren. He had been trying to slowly let Jude begin to do more with Mirren. He didn't want to overwhelm her or make it obvious that he was encouraging her to spend more time with her, but without her noticing, she was doing it on her own anyway.

"She's perfect." Jude nodded, looking down at Mirren enjoying her bottle. She was still in awe of all of her. Even after a few weeks with her here, she really couldn't believe just how perfect she really was. After being covered in depression for a while, she was finally getting to see her daughter and all her beauty.

"I like the onesie." Sean chuckled, noticing Mirren's onesie which had "I'd rather be with my aunt" written on it.

"Yeah, who do you think that's from?" Jude rolled her eyes as Sean chuckled.

"Thea's getting you back from all the times you made James wear ridiculous shirts and outfits." Sean said as Jude smiled.

"She text earlier. Asked if I wanted to go for lunch with her and Cassie." Jude said.

"That's a nice idea." Sean nodded, "What'd you say?"

"That I'd think about it." Jude said, "I don't know if I'm that up to it."

"Well it's up to you." Sean nodded, "I just know how much your sisters can cheer you up. It could be fun." He suggested as Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Jude sighed. She was still absolutely struggling with things. It wasn't going to disappear and she knew that, but knowing things were improving did give her hope, and feeling like she was contributing more for Mirren was massively helping her health. She didn't feel so helpless.

"She's always so quiet when she's with you." Sean smiled, stroking Mirren's head softly as Jude smiled.

"I really hope she forgives me for basically missing these past few weeks with her." Jude shook her head.

"I think you're forgiven." Sean nodded as she smiled, "I'm proud of you." He said, leaning over and kissing her cheek as she smiled to herself, "You're our favourite person." He nodded as Jude turned to him with a smile.

"I love you." Jude smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her whilst Mirren finished her bottle. She was never short of support, that was for sure.


	75. Women's Day

"Can I get you girls some mimosas to start?" A waitress walked over to the table where Thea, Jude and Cassie were sitting at. They were in a breakfast bar a few days later. Jude had been convinced to go out and spend the day with her sisters. She knew once she was out and in their company it wouldn't be as bad as thinking about it leading up to it. It had been a while since all three of them got time on their own and they were taking this opportunity.

"You absolutely can." Cassie nodded immediately.

"Yeah, please." Jude nodded.

"Just orange juice for me." Thea nodded to the waitress.

"No problem, I'll be back to take your order." The waitress nodded to them, wandering away.

"I thought you couldn't drink." Thea looked across at Jude, "Breast-feeding?"

"Yeah, I've gave up on that." Jude nodded, "She wasn't even interested. Plus, with me being kinda out of it for the past few weeks, it's been easier for Sean to feed her with the formula. It's not like he can take my boobs off me." She said.

"I didn't even think you were planning to breastfeed." Cassie shook her head.

"I wasn't." Jude said, "But because Mirren came early, and she's kinda smaller, the nurses were trying to get me to give it a try." She said, "But I mean… she's doing just fine with the formula." She said.

"What is her and Sean up to today then?" Thea asked.

"He was going to visit his mom with her for the day." Jude nodded.

"Sofia is spending the day with mom. She thinks she's looking after her. She brought this little doctor kit that we got her for Christmas. She puts band-aids on her teddy bears and stuff so… I reckon mom's gonna get a few of them." Thea chuckled to herself.

"She loves that stuff." Cassie shook her head, "Plus she can't sit still right now being off from work and having to take it easy." She said.

"Didn't she have an appointment with her doctor a couple days ago?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, it went well. They did scans and stuff, there's no swelling and things are looking good." Cassie nodded positively.

"Well that's a relief." Thea nodded, "She caught me and Dominic having sex the other morning." She scoffed as Cassie rolled her eyes.

"What?" Jude laughed, "Where?"

"In the kitchen." Thea shrugged, "I totally forgot she was coming. And I feel so bad about it but I was so mad. James was at school, Sofia was napping, Dominic got home from work for his lunch break… it was the only time-"

"Oh, you poor little deprived thing." Cassie frowned with uninterest as Thea scoffed.

"What have you been up to anyway? You've been very quiet?" Thea asked her littlest sister.

"I've been working." Cassie nodded.

"Saving cats from trees?" Jude teased as Cassie rolled her eyes.

"No, actually… finding out vandalised the Lincoln statue." Cassie said as Thea looked at her with confusion.

"You're serious?" Thea asked in a shocking tone, "You slaved over police academy for that?"

"Well I'm just starting out, plus… that shit is harder than you think. There's a lot that goes into it." Cassie defended.

"We're just teasing." Jude smiled, leaning into her sister beside as Thea sat across, "We're just jealous you have a cool job."

"It's true." Thea nodded too. There was still that mutual agreement between her in Jude to always protect Cassie, just like when they were growing up. She was the baby and they took care of her, no matter what age she was.

"It's hard doing it all on my own now." Cassie admitted.

"You miss Theo?" Thea assumed as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah… yeah, it's just so weird having to get used to him not being around." Cassie said, "And it's hard moving on when I… I had so much to say to him." She shook her head.

"I wish we could have met him properly." Thea nodded, "He seemed really sweet." She smiled.

"Oh, he was a jerk." Cassie smiled a little, "It was great." She nodded to herself.

"Have you spoken to dad's dad recently?" Thea asked her.

"No, I haven't spoken to him in a while. Although, I heard that dad and Dean are going to talk to him soon. I don't think it's gonna go anywhere." Cassie told them.

"Why do you think that?" Jude asked.

"Cause dad said it." Cassie said, "And now I just feel stupid for even unwrapping it all. Maybe it wasn't my right to go look into him. That was picking at old wounds for dad and Dean and… I just didn't even think." She shook her head.

"You were just curious. I'm sure we all were." Jude said as Thea nodded, "And dad has more answers now than he did before. He got truth from it. That's a good thing." She said.

"Speaking of dad and truth and… all that." Thea said, "I had mom asking me about dad and prison." She said.

"What about that?" Cassie asked.

"Well she said he's still having like… nightmares now and then about it. And he won't really talk to her about much that happened when he was there." Thea said, looking over at Jude as Cassie turned to Jude too.

"Why are you both looking at me?" Jude shook her head.

"Because you're dad's favourite and he tells you things he doesn't tell us." Thea nodded.

"I am not his favourite." Jude scoffed.

"Please, you're the one who kept visiting him when he was in prison." Thea said, "And I saw how close you guys were when he got out. He talked to you about things."

"Yeah, little bits here and there but nothing scandalous." Jude said.

"Well… what did he talk about?" Thea asked.

"Just what it was like." Jude shrugged, "He had a good cell mate the entire time so he was lucky that way. He stayed through a couple of riots. Saw some stupid shit." She shrugged.

"Well what was the stupid shit?" Cassie asked.

"I don't know, he never told me." Jude shook her head innocently, "I was fifteen when he got out. I doubt he was gonna get into the details." She said.

"I don't know… the more time passes it's easier for us to forget he was ever gone but… he must have felt every second of those eight years." Thea shook her head.

"Is there a difference between him before prison and after?" Cassie asked them, "Because I only… I only know the after." She said, "You guys obviously knew him before."

"Well I was only little." Jude shrugged, her and Cassie looking over at Thea who was best equipped to answer that.

"Yeah, he… he was different." Thea nodded, "Not… not in terms of how he acted or anything like that. He's pretty much just the same guy but… I don't know, there was a change about him. Before he was really loud, I guess. I remember going to Hawks games with him and he'd know everyone in the streets, he'd shout over to them, talk to everyone… now he leaves the house and I know he hopes not to bump into anyone or see anyone he knows." Thea said, "I don't know if that's a prison thing or just an age thing maybe." She shrugged.

"I think he likes just living in his own bubble now." Cassie nodded.

"If mom is worried about him why doesn't she just talk to him?" Jude asked Thea.

"I don't know, that's what Dominic said to me." Thea shrugged, "Maybe she's scared. If Dominic was gone for eight years in prison with… bad people around him every day, I'm not sure I'd really wanna know what happened." She said.

"Yeah, I guess." Jude nodded.

"So dad and Dean are talking to Daniel soon?" Thea asked Cassie who nodded.

"Yeah. I think it's just too late now. I don't think they feel like they're gonna gain much from it. I mean to build a whole relationship with your dad at that age… I can understand how deflating it must be." Cassie said.

"Yeah, I think too much time has gone by. Too much has happened." Jude nodded.

"At least they know what happened now and… I mean he is around. I doubt if any of us said we wanted to see him, dad would stop us." Thea said.

"Well he said to me that he wouldn't. If we wanted to visit him and get to know that he wouldn't step in the way." Cassie nodded, "Like he did with Sam, I guess."

"Where has she been?" Jude asked.

"God knows." Cassie shook her head.

"She's her own worst enemy." Thea shook her head, "It's annoying cause I know she cares about us."

"No, she cares about you." Cassie corrected, "She's never gave a shit about me or Jude. Or mom or dad." She said, "She just has this weird connection with you."

"Why? Because we're both alcoholics?" Thea raised a brow.

"Did I say that?" Cassie raised a brow back.

"Come on, Thea. You know she's right." Jude nodded, "You're just closer with her. It's fine."

"Yeah well not now after how she's been acting." Thea shook her head, "I don't wanna be around that shit."

"I'm surprised her liver hasn't gave out at this point." Jude said.

"Hopefully it does soon." Cassie said.

"Yeah, ok, Cass. That's a bit much." Thea nodded.

"Is it?" Cassie questioned, "She literally abandoned dad and Dean their whole lives. I know you've both saw those files. Pictures." She said, "I'm surprised she was never even arrested for how she neglected them."

"They should have been taken away from her." Jude nodded, "Permanently."

"It's not really our situation to get involved with." Thea said, "That's dad and Dean's personal stuff." She shook her head.

"Yeah can we talk about something less tragic?" Jude nodded.

"Like your wedding?" Thea grinned excitedly.

"Pass." Jude said.

"Oh, come on." Thea laughed, "You've gotta be excited."

"I'm excited, yeah. But I only got engaged a few weeks ago. Me and Sean have already talked about it and we don't wanna get married until at least another year."

"Good. The longer you wait, the more planning time you have." Thea said excitedly, "And look what I picked up at a stationary shop on my way here." She said, pulling out a wedding planner journal from her purse.

"You're too much." Cassie scoffed, "Where are these mimosas?" She groaned.

"It's perfect for you." Thea told Jude, "You can draw in it. You love sketching things out." She said as Jude took the journal from her.

"This is actually pretty sweet." Jude smiled a little, browsing through the journal.

"And you need to decide who your maid of honor is." Thea nodded.

"Oh, I've already asked Kirsty." Jude nodded briefly as Thea looked at her unhappily.

"And what am I?" Thea questioned.

"Bridesmaid." Jude nodded to her.

"Did you even consider me for your maid of honor?" Thea asked.

"Well yeah but then I… I didn't wanna have to choose between you or Cassie so… I didn't pick either of you. It's fair that way." Jude nodded.

"Or… you could have just picked me." Thea smiled dramatically with her hands out, "Cassie doesn't care about this stuff." She scoffed.

"She's right. I don't." Cassie nodded honestly as Jude looked at her.

"I've already asked Kirsty. She's my best friend." Jude shrugged, "And I'm not choosing between you both." She said firmly.

"Great, so I have to wait like what? Twenty years until Cassie finally gets married to be maid of honor?" Thea asked as Cassie tutted.

"Excuse me?" Cassie looked across at her.

"Oh, honey come on, you show more commitment to your sweat pants." Thea said.

"Sweat pants can't hurt me. Men can." Cassie nodded.

"That is very true." Jude agreed, looking over at Thea who was sitting quietly and unhappily, "What's the big deal, Thea?" She shook her head, "It's just a stupid label."

"You're my little sister and you're getting married." Thea said, "I want to be the one you come to when you're having wedding problems. You deserve the best day and I… I wanna make sure you get it." She shrugged sincerely.

"You don't need to be my maid of honor for me to come to you with problems." Jude assured her, "You guys are way too important to choose between. So… I'm just gonna have the best bridesmaids ever in the history of all weddings." She shrugged cockily as Thea smiled a little, "And Thea is in charge of bridesmaids dresses-"

"What?!" Cassie exclaimed.

"Yes!" Thea cheered happily.

"Are you kidding?" Cassie turned to Jude, "She'll have us wearing shit that I can't breathe in with slits and off the shoulder this and off the shoulder that-"

"Yeah and you'd have us wearing overalls if you could." Thea scoffed.

"Hey, there is nothing wrong with a good pair of overalls." Cassie warned.

"Thea is good with that stuff. She'll pick you something nice." Jude laughed, "Mom also gets a say in it too." She added.

"Yeah, she warned me that you better not find your actual wedding dress today." Cassie nodded.

"God, you guys are really going to make me go try on wedding dresses? I'm still carrying baby weight." Jude groaned.

"Yes, we are. And it's gonna be fun." Thea smiled as Jude just shook her head with a smile. It was hard not to get sore ribs from laughing when she was with her two sisters. This was a pretty good therapy in itself.

"Please can I wear this?" Cassie asked, coming out of the dressing room into the lounge area with a dress on and a very large hat.

"It's annoying that you actually look good with that hat on." Thea nodded, sitting on the couches in the middle as Cassie laughed, looking in the mirror at herself.

"I feel like if I bend over this thing is gonna split in two." Cassie said.

"Why would you be bending over?" Thea smiled a little.

"Lots of answers to that question." Cassie nodded, "Do I tilt the hat to the side?" She wondered, tilting the large hat to the side as Thea chuckled a little.

They'd been messing around in the wedding dress shop, trying on different dresses, having got the lounge area cordoned off for them on their own, which only encouraged them to mess around even more.

"Hey, guys." Jude called from behind the curtain in the main dressing room.

"Yeah?" Thea questioned.

"Come in." Jude said wearily as Thea stood up, walking towards the dressing room as Cassie put the hat on her, opening up the curtain and walking in where Jude had a wedding dress on.

"Oh, you look amazing." Cassie gasped.

"Oh my God." Thea smiled.

"It's stuck!" Jude exclaimed as Thea and Cassie's expression changed, "I can't get out of it." She panicked as Thea laughed a little.

"What?" Thea chuckled.

"I'm serious." Jude said, "I can't get the zipper down."

"Ok, turn around." Thea scoffed as Jude turned around, allowing her sister to take a look at the zip.

"Why do you have a hat on?" Jude shook her head with confusion, looking in the mirror at Thea who had Cassie's gigantic hat on her head.

"What's wrong with this zip?" Thea scoffed, trying to pull the zip down.

"Don't break it, we'll have to pay for it." Cassie warned, "How much is it?" She wondered, finding the tag on the bottom of the trail.

"How much?" Jude worried.

"Oh my God." Cassie's eyes widened as she saw the price, "Yeah, I'm not gonna tell you but just… be very careful with that zip." She warned Thea.

"It's stuck. I can't get it down." Thea worried.

"What am I going to do?" Jude panicked.

"It's fine, just pull it over your head." Thea nodded, "Put your arms up and me and Cassie will pull it up."

"Fine." Jude said, putting her arms up as Thea and Cassie stood at either side, trying to pull the dress up over her head, getting it as far as they could before they realised they couldn't get it much further.

"It won't go any further." Thea complained, having pulled the dress past Jude's face a little, to the point where it was stuck with her arms in the air, over her face.

"It has to!" Jude hissed quietly.

"Breathe in." Cassie told her.

"I am!" Jude said.

"Cassie, pull it up on 3." Thea ordered, "1… 2… 3." She said, pulling the dress up with all her strength, stepping back and slipping on the end of the silk dress, falling down and taking the dressing room curtain down with her as Cassie placed her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God." Cassie laughed.

"What's going on? I can't see." Jude complained, the wedding dress half up her body as Cassie looked over at the shop assistant who was looking over at the three of them with slight disgust upon the reveal behind the dressing room curtain of the three of them.

"Is my hat ok?" Cassie asked Thea who was tangled up on the curtain on the floor.

"Jude, I think we might need to call some firemen." Thea said, tossing the curtain aside as Jude chuckled as did Cassie.

"That's not funny." Jude laughed, not being able to help it.

"It is." Thea got back to her feet.

"We're about to get thrown out of here." Cassie laughed, noticing the shop assistants talking to each other.

"Jude, you're gonna have to leave the shop like this." Thea teased.

"Ok, I can't see, but I can't beat your ass." Jude warned as Thea chuckled with Cassie, "This is why neither of you are my maid of honor." She made clear jokingly as they laughed, trying their best to get her out of the dress without wetting themselves with laughter,


	76. Dad Talk

**Dad Talk**

* * *

"Are you talking or am I?" Dean asked, walking down the street with his brother as they headed to their father's house.

"I'm pretty sure we can both talk, Dean." Punk nodded to him, "Can you take the sunglasses off?" He asked his brother, "It's dark out."

"No, I don't want to." Dean said childishly as Punk rolled his eyes, "What are we even going to say to him? Don't contact us again?" He questioned.

"Well it doesn't have to be as harsh as that but… in simple terms, yeah." Punk shrugged.

They'd had a while to think about things, about their father and what they could possibly gain from a relationship with him now. Both were in agreement that too much time had passed, and that having a father just wasn't something either of them had been interested in for a very long time. They knew the opportunity was there, but they knew in their hearts that nothing would come of it, and they felt it was common courtesy to talk to their father about why they felt that way.

"Is this it?" Dean asked, approaching the house as Dean nodded.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, walking towards the house and knocking on the door as Dean eventually took his sunglasses off and put them in his pocket, "Hopefully he's in. Cassie seems to think he doesn't go out much."

"So he's a big loner?" Dean wondered, looking around the street.

"Sounds like it." Punk nodded, listening to the door unlocking and slowly opening up where Daniel stood behind.

"Oh…" Daniel paused, not really knowing what to say or do at first as he saw them both standing, "Hi." He gulped.

"Hey." Punk nodded.

"Hello." Dean added as Daniel looked at them both. For a few seconds he didn't know what to even say to them. He hadn't spoken to them both together yet. These were his sons, and no matter how much time he'd lost, no matter if he didn't know who they really were, they were still his sons and that had always meant something to him, even if he couldn't show it.

"Uh… do you… do you want to come in?" He asked as they nodded.

He opened up the door wide and let them come into his house, walking through to the living room as Dean and Punk followed, curiously looking around. In all honesty, they had no idea who their father was as a person, so they figured looking around at his house would give off some hints here and there.

"Sorry to show up unannounced." Punk said, walking into the living room with Dean.

"That's ok. I don't have anywhere to be anyway." Daniel nodded to them, "Although I am curious as to why you've both shown up."

"We'll get into it." Dean assured him.

"First how is your wife?" Daniel asked Punk, "I know she was in a terrible accident. I haven't actually spoken to Cassie in a while either."

"She's doing good." Punk nodded, appreciating the concern, "She's home now and… trying to take it easy." He said as Daniel nodded.

"That's good." Daniel nodded, "I'm glad to hear it." He said sincerely as Punk nodded.

"How long have you lived here?" Dean asked curiously.

"Since I got out of prison a few years back." Daniel said.

"So you got a job, I take it?" Punk asked as Daniel nodded.

"Yeah, I work with trade." Daniel nodded, "Not the illegal kind of course." He looked at Punk who faked a laugh.

"Funny." Punk nodded sarcastically as Dean chuckled to himself, feeling his brother step on his foot.

"So you live alone?" Dean nodded.

"Yeah, no step-mom, don't worry." Daniel said, "I'll be honest I… I never really expected a visit from you both. Not now anyway." He said.

"It's been pretty hectic." Punk said, "I guess we've just been thinking about it all." He said as Dean nodded, "It's an area we've not really been to in our lives. It's hard to envision any kind of father figure in our life, especially now at this age." He said as Daniel nodded.

"I understand that." Daniel said.

"And you've never came to find us. This took Cassie coming to you for you to show up." Dean added, "I know you haven't been out of prison for long but… I don't know, we're still two kids at heart whose father walked out on them."

"I know, I can understand why you'd feel that way." Daniel said, "I was just a kid when I had you. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I was trouble, so was your mom, and it just… it seemed easier to walk away. I felt like I wouldn't be such a disappointment if I just left." He nodded.

"Do you know what happened to us?" Punk asked curiously, "When you were gone and mom was… doing whatever." He shook his head.

"N-No… I haven't spoken to your mom since the night I was arrested." Daniel said.

"Well whatever trouble she was left to face, she did. We just grew up calling them her boyfriends but I guess as we got older we realised that… no one has a different boyfriend every day." Punk said as Daniel looked across at them, "We'd be downstairs. We pretty much lived down there." He said as Daniel looked on worriedly.

"These boyfriends would come tease us after whatever they were doing with mom." Dean said, "One broke Phil's wrist one time. Phil was at school a year before me so… one time I was at home on my own. I was five or six." Dean explained, "One of them locked me against the oven door and took the key away with them." He said as Daniel looked on with horror, "So I was sitting in my own piss and shit pretty much all day." He nodded as Daniel ran his hand over his face, "And that wasn't the last time."

"We'd get lifted by the cops to foster care." Punk explained, "By your brother who we now know was our uncle. Piece of shit, by the way." He added as Daniel nodded, "Foster care wasn't particularly strict. We'd find our way back home. I guess maybe we were worried about our mom. It's hard to remember how our little brains were working back then." He nodded.

"I… I didn't know any of this." Daniel shook his head truthfully as they nodded.

"And we get that. You were in prison. We're not mad about that." Dean shrugged, "But that's how we grew up. It was just the both of us. We took care of each other and we got out of there. And yeah, we maybe went onto make some of our own stupid mistakes but then we really grew up and had families of our own." He said, "And everytime I look at my kids, my daughters, even now when they're older and grown up… I could just never imagine them having to live the life I did. You not being around made me a good dad. And that might sound harsh but… it's how I feel. It made me work hard and do everything I possibly could to make my kids feel loved and… feel everything I didn't as a kid." Dean nodded.

"It sounds cruel." Punk nodded, "But he's right." He agreed, "We're not mad about all that stuff anymore. We really aren't. I guess it made us pretty thick skinned. Smartened us up pretty quickly." He said, "But it also made us depend on ourselves. So even just the thought of you being in our lives… it's never crossed our minds." He said truthfully as Daniel nodded.

"I can understand why." Daniel nodded, slightly taken back by everything he was hearing, about the details of the upbringing his children had, "I'm… I'm so sorry you both had to… go through all of that." He said as they both looked at him, "As children. It's just… there's no words." He shook his head to himself.

"Yeah well we don't dwell on it." Dean assured him, "We grew up. We have a pretty good family now. But… selfishly, that's ours." He made clear as Punk nodded, "We made that on our own. And yeah there's been shit times, really shit times." He emphasised, "But we've always been a family, we've always been there for each other. You and mom just… never have. And that's just the way it is." Dean nodded.

"I… I know I don't really know you both but… you're both very strong individuals." Daniel said. He was in awe of them practically raising themselves, getting themselves through challenging childhood circumstances and making it out on the other end. They both had a very take notice presence that somewhat intimidated him.

"I feel like you might already know where this is going." Punk said as Daniel nodded to himself, "I'm not sure if you wanted a full blown relationship with us or what but… it's too late for us." He made clear, "And that's not us saying that you need to stay away from us and our family. If you want to see the girls and they want to see you, that's fine with us." He said as Dean nodded, "But we're just not looking for that anymore. I don't think we ever were. I've needed a lot of things throughout my life but… a mom and dad was just never really one." He shrugged.

"I don't blame you both. I really don't." Daniel nodded, "I've been gone for all your life. It was maybe dumb of me to just show up like that-"

"No." Dean shook his head, "No, you had every right. You wanted to know about us and, we also got more information than we had before about everything." He said, "You showing up wasn't a problem. We just… don't need a father, not now anyway. And we don't think we can give you that kind of relationship."

"I see." Daniel nodded, "Well you've both been self-dependent your entire lives. It makes sense and… I can see why you'd resent me maybe." He said, "I guess it was worth a shot." He said as they nodded, "You both have very beautiful families. You should be really proud." He nodded.

"We are." Punk assured him, "If it's any consolation, you seem ok." He nodded as Daniel laughed a little, watching them both smile a little.

"Thanks." Daniel nodded to them gratefully.

"But we're good." Dean said as Daniel nodded slowly.

They weren't there to tell their father off, to curse him out and point at all his flaws. They weren't interested in doing that. They wanted him to see it from their point of view, and let him know that having a father just wasn't something either of them were prepared for, and something that was just a little too late for.

* * *

"Hey!" Punk called, getting home later on and walking through to the living room where AJ put her finger to her lips as he noticed Sofia was asleep beside her, "Oh." Punk smiled, looking on at Sofia holding her furby, curled into AJ with a blanket.

"She's decided she's staying tonight." AJ smiled to him, "Thea came to pick her up and she said she wanted to stay." She said.

"You love it." Punk smiled as AJ nodded.

"I do." AJ agreed, playing with Sofia's hair sweetly as Punk smiled, "How'd it go with your dad?" She asked quietly as Punk nodded, sitting down beside her on the opposite side.

"It went… as well as it could have." Punk nodded, "Said what we needed to say." He said as AJ nodded, placing her hand on his lap.

"You gotta go with what you feel." AJ encouraged as he nodded, "How is Dean?" She asked.

"Yeah, he's ok." Punk nodded, "What did you get up to today?" He smiled, kissing her head as she leaned into him comfortably.

"We had lunch and then we went out for some ice-cream. She then spent most of the night using her little toy first aid kit on me, telling me that I need to rest." AJ smiled, "I think she's hearing everyone else say it so now she's joining in." She smiled as Punk laughed a little.

"So you've been well taken care of then?" Punk smiled.

"Oh, definitely. She might even be a better nurse than you." She teased as Punk gasped.

"I'm shocked." He said as AJ smiled, "You heard from any of our children?"

"Yeah." AJ scoffed, "We raised some fools, baby." She nodded.

"What?" Punk laughed.

"They went wedding dress shopping and Jude got stuck in a dress." AJ told him.

"She got stuck?" Punk shook his head with confusion.

"Yeah. Couldn't get out of the dress." AJ nodded, "Thea broke the curtain pole in the dressing room too." She said.

"They're ridiculous." Punk laughed to himself, "So Jude's going around wearing a wedding dress?" He laughed.

"Well, thankfully she got out of it eventually." AJ laughed quietly, "With help from the entire store apparently. Thea said she hadn't saw Jude laugh as much as she did today." She smiled to him as Punk nodded to himself.

"Good. I knew they'd have fun." Punk smiled contently as AJ nodded, "Is Cassie home?" He asked.

"Yeah she stumbled up those stairs and I haven't heard any movement. She's probably crashed." AJ said, "She said they had a few mimosas at breakfast." She nodded.

"As long as they had fun." Punk smiled.

"I think they did." AJ nodded happily, resting her head against his shoulder into the crook of his neck as Punk wrapped his arm around her, glad to be home with her.


	77. Avoiding It

**Avoiding It**

* * *

"What is he doing out there?" Cassie questioned, standing in the kitchen the next morning, looking out the window where she saw her father moving some slabs around the garden.

"He's pretending he's enjoying some manual labour. I know he's desperate to come in here and watch drag race with me." AJ nodded as Cassie chuckled.

"He's pretending he's a dude?" Cassie asked as AJ nodded.

"Pretending he's a dude." AJ nodded, looking out and watching her husband drop a slab on his foot, cursing and hopping around as she chuckled, "So you girls had fun yesterday?" She turned to Cassie who was chowing down some breakfast whilst Sofia sat brushing her furbys fuzzy hair.

"Yeah, it was great." Cassie nodded, "It was good to see Jude laughing and having fun." She said as AJ smiled.

"Well I'm glad you guys got her to come out, that's a huge step for her right now." AJ nodded positively, "Even if you did almost trap her in a wedding dress." She said as Cassie chuckled.

"It was funny." Cassie smiled, looking across at Sofia, "How come you got to stay here last night?" She asked her niece.

"Because I wanted to." Sofia answered simply as Cassie chuckled.

"You were looking after me, weren't you, baby?" AJ smiled, brushing her hand through Sofia's hair as she nodded.

"Yes." Sofia nodded.

"Doesn't this thing scare you?" Cassie asked, pointing to the furby which was creeping her out.

"No." Sofia said, "I love my furby."

"It's ugly." Cassie teased. She was definitely the aunt who teased her niece and nephew.

"No she isn't, Aunt Cassie." Sofia said protectively as Cassie stuck her tongue out to her as Sofia smirked and giggled.

"How did things go with dad and his dad?" Cassie asked.

"I think it went ok. They said what they wanted to say." AJ nodded, looking out the window where she saw her husband moving some things around.

"Thea said you were asking about dad in prison." Cassie said, looking up at her mother who turned to her, "You worried about him?" She wondered as AJ shook her head.

"No… no, if I was worried about your father I would be saying something to him." AJ assured her, "I know how he can get. He can shut off sometimes. Distance himself from things." She nodded, "And I know him better than anyone but those eight years are still blank to me. I know little bits but… not everything."

"Why is this bothering you now?" Cassie wondered, "He's been out for years."

"I know… I know, and maybe that's shame on me for not noticing it more." AJ said, "I guess being off work and sitting around in my own thoughts all day got me thinking. And he still has nightmares every now and then. He wakes up and it's like he thinks he's back in there." She shook her head, "It scares me how scared he looks."

"Well… yeah, I mean… it's prison, mom. He wasn't getting spa treatment or anything." Cassie said.

"I know that." AJ gulped, "I just… maybe I've not thought about it because I'm scared to know." She nodded, "I mean your dad tells me everything. Things he's scared of and things he's done that he shouldn't have. He's always talking to me about everything." She said, "And then there's prison." She shrugged, "It's like he automatically knows not to go there."

"It's probably just a hard part of his life he struggles to think about it." Cassie nodded, "I don't find it odd that he completely disregards it." She said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, I know." AJ said, "I know, I just worry, that's all." She nodded, "I think I worry more about him as I've got older." She said.

"Why don't you just ask him about it?" Cassie shrugged.

"I want to but… I don't know, I don't wanna upset him or make him think about it if it's too hard." AJ shook her head, "I think all this stuff with his dad and finding out everything that actually happened with his parents… it's got him all quiet."

"Yeah." Cassie agreed, "I say you just ask him about it if you're worried." She nodded, "It's you. If he's gonna tell anyone anything, it's gonna be you."

"Thea seems to think Jude knows some stuff." AJ said.

"Yeah we asked her yesterday. She doesn't know any more than the rest of us." Cassie nodded.

"He's coming in, shh." AJ noticed Punk walking towards the house from the garden as Cassie nodded.

"I dropped a slab on my foot." Punk complained as he walked into the kitchen.

"What are you even doing out there? Pretending you're enjoying yourself?" Cassie asked.

"Your mom wanted some slabs put down." Punk said.

"I told you we could hire someone." AJ said, "You do enough lifting at work. You can sit this one out."

"I don't mind it." Punk shrugged as Cassie scoffed.

"Please… you hate doing stuff like that." Cassie said, "You're basically one of the girls." She nodded.

"Yeah, not by choice." Punk scoffed, "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I got a late start." Cassie said, "What are you guys doing today?"

"Well that's up to the boss." Punk nodded, looking over at Sofia, "Sof, what are we doing today?" Punk asked her as she looked up.

"Uh…" Sofia thought hard, "The park." She decided.

"We're going to the park." Punk nodded to Cassie who smiled.

"Well, I for one am super jealous." Cassie nodded as Sofia smiled.

"Aunt Cassie you can come with us." Sofia let her know.

"I wish I could babe but I gotta work." Cassie frowned.

"Oh." Sofia nodded slowly, "Well we're still going." She made clear to her grandparents as AJ and Punk chuckled.

"Of course we are." AJ smiled.

* * *

"The girls were never really into the park, were they?" AJ said, sitting at a picnic bench with her husband whilst Sofia was off playing on the swings and the other equipment their local park had to offer.

"No. I remember taking Thea and Jude to the park and they just stood looking at me like I was insane." Punk laughed to himself, "Then they… started fighting with each other." He shrugged.

"Yeah well that was standard." AJ nodded, keeping her hands around her coffee to keep them warm, "I remember taking Cassie here when she was little. She kept standing on the swings and I kept telling her she was gonna fall… and of course she fell off. She cried all the way home cursing out the swing." She laughed a little as Punk smiled.

"What age was she?" Punk smiled.

"Oh, like four or five." AJ said as Punk nodded with a smile. Believe it or not, he was still learning about all the things he'd missed whilst he was gone. Eight years was a long time, and there was lots he'd missed out on. Little things.

"She's got muscles." Punk nodded, looking over at Sofia on the monkey bars as AJ turned around and smiled.

"It was so sweet hearing her say she wanted to stay last night. Thea came over to pick her up and she was all defiant." AJ said, "She was my little buddy yesterday."

"I know, I'm so glad they like us." Punk teased as AJ smiled, tapping his foot under the bench.

"She's just like Thea when she was little." AJ smiled, "The attitude especially."

"Yeah and she does that thing that Thea used to do. When I'd make her something to eat and she wouldn't eat it and then insist on eating what I'd made." Punk said as AJ chuckled and nodded.

"She drove you insane with that." AJ remembered as he nodded.

"She still does it. When we were out for dinner for Dean's birthday last year she made me swap plates with her." Punk shook his head as AJ smiled.

"I'm just so glad Jude is doing better." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Punk said, "I wish I could permanently make it all go away for her. I know that she's… she's never gonna forget about it, and I don't know if that combined with the pressure of being a mom just got to her." He said as AJ nodded.

"I can't stand that she feels like she's letting Mirren down. I know that feeling. It's horrible." AJ nodded.

"She's getting better." Punk nodded positively, "Therapy seems to be more about her this time and less about her being attacked, and that seems to be helping more."

"Yeah, she really likes that therapist." AJ nodded, "It was just so nice to hear they had a good day yesterday and they had fun." She smiled, "I always thought the older they got, the less I'd worry about them but… I think I worry about them more now." She shook her head as Punk nodded.

"I don't think that goes away." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, I don't think so." AJ shook her head, looking across at him, watching as he took a sip of his coffee. She cherished her conversations with him. Her companionship with him and their honest relationship. She wasn't afraid to ask him about prison. She was afraid of what he'd tell her, "Phil." AJ said as Punk nodded, looking across at her.

"Mhm?" He said casually.

"You uh… you never really talk to me about prison." She said as he looked at her, "I mean you've told me little bits here and there but… I mean you were there for eight years. I'm sure you have more to tell me." She said comfortingly, "And I notice you still have nightmares and I just… I don't want you to feel like you have to keep it to yourself. Talk to me about it." She encouraged as he looked down, fidgeting with his hands.

"There's… there's nothing to talk about." Punk shook his head as she looked across at him, "It was just some fights here and there." He shrugged, "Normal… prison stuff." He laughed a little as AJ nodded slowly.

"Ok." AJ nodded calmly as he looked at her, "If it… wasn't normal prison stuff, you could tell me, though." She assured him as he just looked at her.

"I'm… I'm gonna go push her on the swings." He pointed back to Sofia, standing up from the bench, "Not too high, though, right?" He smiled as she nodded.

"Not unless you want Thea's wrath." AJ shook her head as he chuckled, "Phil." She said before he turned to walk away, "I love you." She nodded as he looked at her and nodded.

"I love you too." Punk smiled, leaning over and kissing her as she scratched under his stubbly chin sweetly, pulling back and watching him head on over to play with Sofia, sighing to herself. She wondered if he just didn't want to talk about those years because of what he missed, or if there was something that happened that he couldn't face telling her about.


	78. Progression

**Progression**

* * *

"Mommy!" Sofia squealed, running into her house and jumping on her mother who was sat at the couch.

"Oh, hi puddin." Thea chuckled, squeezing her tightly, "Did you have fun?" She smiled.

"Yeah!" Sofia yelled as James looked over from the other couch, unimpressed with how loud his sister was being, "Mommy, I went to the park and papa pushed me on the swings." She explained excitedly as Thea smiled, looking up at Punk who nodded as witness.

"Not too high, though. Right?" Thea looked up at Punk suspiciously.

"Just average." Punk shrugged, winking to Sofia discreetly as the three year old giggled mischievously, "She took good care of A last night too. Didn't you?" Punk smiled, "You made sure she was resting good, right?"

"I did." Sofia confirmed, "I made sure she wasn't too hot like this." She said, placing her hand on her mother's forehead to show her.

"Wow, baby. You were really taking care of her, huh?" Thea smiled as Sofia nodded, "Good job." She nodded as Sofia smiled, pleased with herself, "You're home just in time because daddy is almost finishing dinner so… why don't you both go wash your hands." She suggested, lifting Sofia back onto the ground.

"Ok." Sofia nodded, running away out of the kitchen to go wash her hands.

"Hey, buddy." Punk chuckled, looking over at James who was sitting quietly. He was very different from Sofia. He was quiet, but still somehow had some of Thea's famous blunt charm. He was a lot more like Dominic in certain ways.

"Hey." James smiled as Thea looked over.

"Babe, you excited for the game tonight?" Thea smiled, watching James slide off the couch. She lived for her son's naturally calm aura.

"Yeah." James nodded as Punk smiled.

"Who's gonna win?" Thea asked.

"Hawks." James nodded confidently as Punk smiled.

"Hell yeah they are." Punk agreed as James smiled, leaving the living room to go wash his hands with his sister as Thea stood up from the couch.

"Just teaching them early." She insisted.

"It's what I like to see." Punk nodded, "I've left her bag at the bottom of the stairs." He told her as Thea nodded.

"Thanks for having her. I hope it wasn't too much for mom." Thea said.

"You kidding? Nothing is too much for your mom." Punk said.

"I'm serious. I'm worried about how much she's been doing since she got out of hospital. It's ridiculous how stubborn she is." Thea shook her head.

"You're just as stubborn as her." Punk reminded her as Thea scoffed, "Heard you had a good day out with your sisters."

"Yeah, it was really good." Thea smiled, "Good to see Jude out of the house and… enjoying herself. I think it was a big step for her. I'm glad she came." She nodded.

"Me too." Punk nodded, "Heard about the dress incident."

"It was hilarious." Thea laughed a little as Punk smiled, "Mom told me you talked to your dad." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, me and Dean spoke to him." Punk said.

"Not going anywhere, huh?" Thea nodded.

"No, it's… it's too late. It doesn't even feel right." Punk shook his head, "But hey I have no issue with you or your sisters getting to know him. Just like Sam, I won't interfere." He made clear.

"Speaking of Sam… you heard her from her?" Thea asked.

"No. And I don't plan to. Me and her are done. And your mom is done with her too." Punk nodded.

"She doesn't do herself any favours." Thea shook her head.

"She's poison. She always has been." Punk said, "And it's always poor her. Anything to make herself feel better." He shook his head.

"It's all a bit mad, though. Isn't it?" Thea asked, "Mom's parents chasing yours for money. Mom's dad losing his mind."

"I think a lot of that is just circumstantial. Especially your mom's dad. You live in that world for all that time and sure… you're gonna lose your mind. I lost my mind and I was only doing it for a year or two. Almost lost your mother and you. I was so blind by it all." Punk said, "It can fuck you up." He said as Thea nodded.

"Aren't you worried about mom's mom? Cassie said she's been calling the station with threats every day." Thea said, "And you're the guy who shot her husband." She said.

"I think I'll be fine." Punk nodded, "All of this shit isn't for you or your sisters to worry about anyway." He made clear, "You got your own lives, focus on that… not on me and your mom." He said.

"I'm trying. It's nice getting back to some kind of normality." Thea nodded, "And we're finally almost unpacked." She said.

"It's a nice place." Punk nodded, "Feel like a home yet?"

"Yeah, it's starting too." Thea said, "I guess the more we unpack." She nodded.

"The kids liking it?" Punk asked as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I can't get Sofia out of the garden." Thea laughed a little as Punk smiled, "Next week I'm actually taking James to his first hockey game." She explained.

"Oh, sweet." Punk smiled.

"I have a spare ticket." She nodded, "Dominic can't make it and I asked James who he'd wanna ask to come and… you made first cut." She smiled.

"I did?" Punk smiled proudly as Thea nodded, "I'd love to come." Punk nodded, "But you're buying the snacks." He said as she nodded to herself.

"Ok, fine." Thea smiled as he chuckled.

"I'll let you sort their dinner. I told your mom I'd pick up some food on my way home. She'll be buzzing my ass if I don't hurry up." Punk said as Thea nodded.

"I'll see you later." Thea shook her head, wandering off to the kitchen where the rest of her family was as Punk left the living room, pausing in the hallway as he looked down to the kitchen where he could see Thea helping the kids sit up at the table, passing Dominic back and forth as they got ready to have dinner. He was proud of his daughter and the wonderful family she had.

* * *

"I'm nervous about this. What if she slips out of my hands?" Jude asked, holding Mirren against her chest, standing in the bathroom as Sean leaned over the bath where some shallow water had been ran into the small baby bath, checking to make sure it wasn't too hot nor too cold.

"Jude, she's a baby. She's not gonna jump out your hands." Sean laughed a little, turning to her and noticing she looked legitimately scared. It was her first time bathing Jude since they'd gotten home. He'd pretty much done it on his own for the past few weeks due to Jude's emotional disconnect from everything. Gradually as she began to feel better, she was beginning to do more with Mirren and that was wonderful to see.

"She's gonna be fine. She just sort of… sits there. Just keep your arm under her neck and she'll be fine." Sean nodded.

"So she doesn't cry or anything?" Jude made sure.

"No, she doesn't say much." Sean teased as Jude smiled a little, "Go on, put her in." He nodded.

"Ok." Jude said nervously, leaning over the edge of the bath tub, placing Mirren into the baby bath, making sure she supported her small neck, smiling a little as she saw the baby girl lying still, "Is this ok?" She asked.

"You don't have to ask me." Sean assured her. He knew she was still slightly struggling to find her confidence with Mirren and her ability to know she was capable of being everything she needed. Little steps went a long way, and he was getting to watch her slowly become closer and closer with Mirren.

"She's just sort of chilling there, huh?" Jude laughed a little, using the cloth to wash Mirren carefully as the baby girl lay still.

"Yeah, she's an angel." Sean smiled, looking on as he watched Jude give Mirren her bath. She was more than capable of these things. As soon as she broke that nervous barrier, it was all natural.

Jude finished up giving Mirren her bath, lifting her out and taking her into their bedroom to dry her off carefully and get her into a diaper and onesie. Sean stood back and just watched it all. After seeing the way Jude had been the past few weeks, to now watching her more comfortable and more herself again, it was a blessing and he was so happy for her.

"She's just the best baby ever." Jude shook her head, popping the buttons on the onesie before lifting Mirren up and holding her against her chest.

"I have to agree." Sean nodded as Jude smiled.

"Was that ok? Is that how you do it?" Jude asked him as Sean smiled.

"You don't have to ask me. You got this. As soon as you got her in there you knew exactly what to do and how to do it." Sean nodded, "Don't sell yourself short." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as Jude smiled.

"I feel like I'm actually getting to know her now." Jude admitted, "Seeing her smile, feeding her more, bathing her… I hate that I missed it all at the beginning."

"Hey, it's still the beginning." Sean assured her, "And you're doing amazing. She is… so lucky to have you." He nodded as Jude smiled, looking on at Mirren sleeping against her chest. Holding her made her feel so fulfilled and warm. Something she could never lose.

"Why don't we… go out tomorrow?" Jude asked, "Put her in the stroller and… go for a walk or something?" She nodded as Sean looked across at her, nodding with a smile.

"That sounds nice." Sean nodded, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her head as Jude smiled softly. Therapy was really opening her eyes up to what she could overcome, what she had already overcome.

**A/N: A little cool down before more drama! Stay tuned and thanks for the reviews.**


	79. Her Voice

**Her Voice**

* * *

"_Who is this?" An older man jumped down from the top bunk, looking on at the new pictures sitting on the small table in the cell._

"_Don't touch them." Punk said immediately, sitting up on the bottom bunk nervously as his cell mate, Tom, or famously known as T-dog within the prison, looking on at the pictures AJ had given him._

"_Is it your family?" Tom asked._

"_Yeah." Punk said, leaning against the wall._

"_Damn, that's a nice lady friend you got there." Tom noticed the picture of AJ as Punk extended his leg out and kicked him on the knee cap hard, watching him collapse over a little and chuckle._

"_Quit it." Punk warned as Tom chuckled a little._

"_Alright alright, I'm just messing with you." Tom insisted as Punk looked over at him._

_He'd only been inside for two months. His wife was feverishly working on appeals for him which continued to be denied. He missed her, he missed his girls, his brother, his whole family. It was terrifying how much his life had changed overnight, certainly not for the good. _

"_If I see you touch them I'll stick your head in that urinal." Punk made clear as Tom looked over at him._

"_This isn't your first time in a cell, is it?" Tom realised, leaning against the wall and folding his arms._

"_And how would you know?" Punk asked defensively._

"_Because you know things. I've had two cell mates before you. Fresh meat. Not a clue about how all this works." Tom said, "You do. You got your wits about you. You know how sacred a picture is in here." He said as Punk looked at him, "So tell me… how long ago were you in here?" He asked curiously._

"_A while back." Punk said, "I was nineteen at the time. Just a kid." He shook his head, "I was in for just over a year. Drugs." He said briefly as Tom nodded. _

"_So you never learned?" Tom asked bluntly as Punk looked at him._

"_Excuse me?" Punk narrowed his brows._

"_Well… you've seemed to find your way back here, same offence, same situation-"_

"_No, this… this time was different. This time wasn't my fault." Punk shook his head, looking over at him, "It's not for you to understand."_

"_Maybe not." Tom nodded, "How was it the last time you were in here?"_

"_It wasn't the greatest." Punk scoffed, "I guess I wasn't in long enough to see anything too crazy." He said as Tom nodded slowly._

"_Do you mind if I… look at the pictures?" Tom pointed as Punk looked at him wearily, "Dude, I'm not gonna jerk off to them. They keep those crazies far away from this wing, trust me." He shook his head as Punk nodded._

"_Yeah, go ahead." Punk nodded. The only good thing on his side was the fact he knew how prison worked. He knew the system, the things to watch out for and be careful of. But that didn't mean he wasn't still terrified._

"_What's your girls name?" Tom asked, taking the few pictures from the table._

"_April." Punk said as he nodded, looking at the picture of AJ on her own, one he remembered taking of her on their honeymoon. He knew seeing her sweet smile via photograph was never going to be enough for him. Ever. _

"_And these must be the offspring?" Tom smiled, looking onto the pictures of Thea and Jude as Punk nodded, "This one looks old." He looked at the picture of Thea._

"_She's thirteen." Punk nodded, "Had her when we were young." He said as Tom nodded, "That's Thea and the younger one is Jude. She's six." He said as Tom smiled and nodded._

"_They're cute kids." Tom said respectfully._

"_I think so." Punk nodded, "Got another one on the way too." He said stressfully._

"_Damn, son." Tom laughed a little, "You after a big family?" He questioned._

"_We wanted three kids." Punk nodded, "Wasn't anticipating this happening, though." He shook his head._

"_Well, I bet." Tom said, "How long you got?" He asked._

"_Fourteen years." Punk said as Tom nodded, "What about you?"_

"_Well I got eighteen. Already done seven." Tom said as Punk nodded slowly, "I didn't murder or rape anyone." He promised, "Drugs too." He said as Punk nodded, "It can… suck you right in." He shook his head, "And there's really no way out."_

"_Yeah, I know." Punk understood._

"_I won't touch your pictures." Tom promised as Punk nodded, "I know what can happen if… they end up in the wrong hands." He said._

"_So do I." Punk nodded. He'd lived in prison before, he'd saw the horrors that came with it all. The people, the packs, the politics and the cruel behaviour. He was very protective of himself right now more than ever._

"_If a riot breaks out or… something happens up in here, put them in here." Tom said, opening up a crack in the wall as Punk looked on, "I keep mine in here."_

"_Surprised they haven't fixed that yet." Punk said._

"_They don't know it's there." Tom scoffed._

"_You got a family?" Punk figured._

"_Kids, yeah. Not that I see them anymore of course." He said, "They're all grown up and… want nothing to do with me." He said, "Still, they're my kids." He shrugged as Punk nodded._

"_I just wanna see them." Punk shook his head, leaning it back against the wall and closing his eyes, "I wanna be home." He dreamed, "I wanna hear my kids fighting with each other and… I wanna hear Ape say, Phil do something don't just let them fight." He smiled fondly as he thought about his wife._

"_Yeah this whole thing would be a lot easier if you were a loner, huh?" Tom said as Punk opened his eyes and nodded._

"_Yeah, probably." Punk nodded, "I just don't really know how I'm gonna do this." He said. He could barely even think about what was at stake. It was very hard to take it all in. It was surreal to think this was where he was spending his life for a very long time._

"_You gotta, somehow." Tom said, "You a believer? In God?" He wondered._

"_No." Punk said bluntly._

"_Well, I believe God has a plan for all of us. We all end up where we're supposed to be-"_

"_Thanks, that really helps me out." Punk shook his head._

"_Have some faith." Tom encouraged as Punk shook his head._

"_I think it's a little too late for that." Punk nodded._

"_Well… maybe having a decent cell mate is one less thing you gotta worry about." He said sincerely, "There's a lot of… challenged people in here. You gotta be careful." He warned._

"_Yeah, I know." Punk nodded bluntly._

"_No. You don't." Tom said, "But you will." He scoffed, "Make sure no one sees those pictures." He made clear as Punk nodded._

* * *

"April, what the hell are you doing?" Punk walked into the kitchen, looking on at his wife standing on a chair trying to reach one of the top cupboards.

"I can't reach one of my cook books." AJ complained.

"Then shout on me to help. I swear, you're gonna give me a damn heart attack." Punk groaned as AJ smiled deviously.

"What if I did this?" AJ asked, standing on the chair, taking her hands off the back of it and balancing.

"April." Punk said, unimpressed.

"Oh, what about this?" AJ smiled, only standing on one of her legs as she lifted the other one as Punk folded his arms and took a deep breath, "How much would you pay for me to start hopping?" She smirked.

"I'll beat your ass, Mendez." Punk warned.

"You'll kiss my ass." AJ scoffed, turning around and slapping her ass at him as he rolled his eyes.

"Just come down. I'll get the book." Punk scoffed.

"No, I've got it." AJ said stubbornly, reaching for the book, getting her hands on it and jumping down on the ground.

"God, don't jump." Punk panicked.

"When did you turn into such a nervous wreck?" AJ shook her head.

"When my wife's head almost caved in in a car accident." Punk said bluntly as AJ made a face at him, "Please behave."

"I always behave." AJ said, moving the chair back under the table.

"What'd you want this book for anyway?" Punk asked.

"There's a recipe for chilli I want to make in it." AJ said.

"Oh, so a real emergency?" Punk scoffed.

"Yeah well this is how bored I am." AJ shook hr head.

"You're supposed to be resting." Punk shook his head, sick to death of hearing himself say it, "You're the worst patient ever."

"I've done my resting. I'm all good now." AJ promised as Punk shook his head.

"You've still got pain, that doesn't make you all good." Punk said, "Take it easy or I'll tie you to the bed." He nodded as AJ smirked.

"Keep talking." She smirked, interested as Punk laughed to himself.

"You're ridiculous." He nodded.

"Phil, I'm literally going out of my mind. I can't sit still. Daytime TV is shocking. Horrifying actually." She said, "And I'm… eating more. I can feel my ass getting bigger." She sighed, holding her ass as Punk laughed a little.

"Sounds good to me." He nodded as she shoved him.

"No." She whined childishly as he chuckled, "I'm already talking about going back to work next week."

"No way." Punk shook his head, "Don't be stupid. You need to content yourself until you get the all clear from Doctor Burns." He warned her.

"Content myself by doing what?" AJ rolled her eyes.

"Making chilli and stuff." He shrugged as AJ looked at him, unimpressed as he laughed a little, "What? It sounds nice." He said as AJ scoffed.

"You take care of me too well. I can't stand it." She shook her head teasingly as Punk smiled.

"I just want you to be healthy." Punk said, "It's all I care about." He nodded.

"I am healthy." AJ nodded, "I am feeling a lot better." She said, "I get the occasional headache but that's pretty normal."

"You're still pretty fresh out of hospital, Ape. I don't want you downplaying it." He said, "You gotta give yourself some time." He said as she nodded. She knew he was right.

"I know." AJ sighed a little, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head against his chest as he kissed her head, "I hope you took care of yourself when I was out of it." She said.

"Me taking care of myself? You know I've never been good at that." Punk scoffed as she looked up at him.

"Yeah, I know." AJ said seriously as he saw the worry in her eyes.

"Lucky we got some kids who like me." Punk shrugged, "They kept me good."

"I knew they would." AJ smiled.

"This place felt so weird without you in it." He said, "Felt like I was in a place I'd never been before." He said as she nodded.

"I know the feeling." She reminded him as he nodded, leaning down and kissing her softly, deepening the kiss as she chuckled against his lips, "Phil." She patted his arm, "I'm making chilli." She insisted as he laughed a little, leaning his forehead against hers.

"You can't multitask?" He wondered as AJ chuckled.

"Oh, something really dangerous could end up happening. I could be chopping onions and-"

"Yeah, alright." Punk nodded as she laughed, smiling as he watched her laughing. He hoped that laugh. That smile, never left him. It was the best thing on earth to him.

"I promise I'll rest once I'm done." She told him, pecking his lips back and forth as he smiled.

"Ok, go do your thing." He nodded, tapping her ass as she chuckled, walking off to the fridge as Punk watched her with a smile. He owed his sanity to her throughout his life, even when he was in prison.


	80. Spokesperson

**Spokesperson**

* * *

"You having fun?" Punk asked, turning to James who was sitting beside him at the hockey game.

"Yeah." James nodded briefly, taking it all in as they sat through the final intermission.

"What's better the hockey or the hot-dog?" He asked.

"The hockey." James nodded to him as Punk smiled, placing his hand on his head and messing his hair affectionately.

"My boy." Punk smiled with joy. It was great to be able to be so involved with his grandchildren and still be fit and healthy to watch them growing up.

"I just snuck into the guys bathroom." Thea sat back down in her seat next to her father, leaning forward to make sure James was ok, smiling as she saw him sitting minding his own business and watching everything around him.

"Please elaborate some more." Punk said sarcastically.

"For the toilet." Thea said, "The girl's line is wrapped around the damn place. I'm not waiting." She scoffed.

"Be careful when you do that. Some guys get all hot." Punk said.

"Yeah well they can come at me." Thea scoffed, unbothered as she took a sip of her coffee, "Do you think he's having fun?" She asked him quietly, leaning forward again and looking on at James who was sat next to Punk.

"Yeah, he's having a blast." Punk nodded to her.

"I'm glad you could make it." Thea smiled happily as Punk nodded.

"Me too. It's like a free school day for me." He said as Thea smiled.

"I remember when you used to take me and Jude." Thea nodded.

"You guys would just fight the entire time. It was a nightmare." Punk shook his head.

"Jude wasn't interested in anything to do with hockey. Mom just made you take her with us." Thea chuckled as Punk nodded.

"Yeah that was your mom's night off. She loved hockey night cause she'd get the house to herself for a few hours." He nodded.

"I missed out on so many games after you went to prison." She shook her head.

"Why? Because you were stubborn and hated me?" Punk turned to her as she looked at him.

"Well… yeah." Thea said as Punk nodded, "I guess becoming an adult, a proper adult, makes you realise how silly you can be as a kid."

"I don't think it was silly." Punk shook his head, "This was our thing. And suddenly I'm not there anymore. I understand why you'd distance yourself from it." He nodded.

"Did you get to watch any of the games in prison?" Thea asked him.

"No, you kidding?" Punk chuckled.

"Someone told me prison is a pretty sweet gig. They have x-boxes and shit there. No?" Thea questioned as Punk couldn't help laugh, "What?" She said.

"It's just… a very innocent question. Bless your heart." He patted her arm, "No x-boxes, believe me." He assured her.

"So what did you do?" Thea asked, "I mean, I know you're there to be punished but surely you weren't locked up twenty-four hours a day." She said.

"Well you got jobs to do. Each wing would rotate. So you'd be in kitchen one week. Out in the yard the next. In the halls and any kind of stock rooms." Punk said, "There were classes you could take too. I always did the woodwork one because I knew what I was doing. So it was easy." He shrugged.

"Sounds… thrilling." Thea nodded sarcastically, "Did you get beat up?" She asked him as he turned to her. He knew his girls and his wife inside out. Thea was pretty much the spokesperson. She didn't have a filter. She was the one they always made complain to the waiter if there was something wrong with food in a restaurant.

"Not more than the average prison." Punk said calmly as Thea looked at him.

"You got an answer for everything, don't you?" She smiled a little.

"What does that mean?" Punk asked.

"It's always little short answers. Ones that don't really go anywhere." She said, "You think none of us notice?" She asked.

"What kind of answer do you want me to give you?" Punk laughed a little, "Yeah, I got my ass kicked a couple times. It's prison. You're in there with people who don't give a shit." He said, "You don't need me to explain that to you."

"No, but you can talk about it." Thea nodded. She'd had conversations with her mother about her concern over his dismal on everything to do with prison. It was concerning. Especially considering how long ago he was released. For him to still struggle acknowledging things was a worry.

"Did your mom ask you to talk to me about this?" Punk asked her as Thea shook her head, "Yes, she did. Don't lie." He warned.

"Ok, so she's worried about you." Thea said.

"Why? I'm fine." Punk insisted.

"Yeah but you don't… you don't talk about prison. And look, I'm fine not knowing what happened. So are Jude and Cass. But it's mom. You talk to her about everything." Thea said, "She… She hates that you don't wanna open up about it to her."

"It's not about… opening up." Punk shook his head, "It's a part of my life that I do my best to forget-"

"That really won't work." Thea nodded, "And you know that." She said.

"Well it's how I deal with things, ok?" Punk said, "I respect how you deal with things, don't I?"

"It's not about me." Thea said, "Come on, you don't wanna keep that shit to yourself."

"There's nothing for me to even tell. It's prison. Yes, it was brutal and at times unbearable, but nothing was hurting me more than just… missing my family. Everything else was just… added inconveniences." He shook his head, "Shame on your mother for telling you to ask me about this." He said, slightly mad.

"Oh, yeah, shame on her for caring about you." Thea scoffed, "Get real." She warned as he turned to her.

"There's nothing for me to tell." Punk made clear, "Some fights and some riots broke out but that was normal."

"Dad, you were there for eight years." Thea said, unconvinced by his brief responses, "You saw stuff. Period. And I'm not asking you to tell me. But just talk to mom. She's worried about you-"

"Well she shouldn't be. I'm fine." Punk scoffed. He hated the fuss.

"Do you think it was easy for her to tell you all her lowest moments when you were gone? To tell you about what happened with me?" Thea asked, "No, but she did it anyway because she wanted you to know and you wanted to be there for her, right?" She said as he nodded, "So just let her be there for you."

"I do. Why is this getting turned into such a big thing all of a sudden? Is swear this family just creates problems for itself sometimes." He scoffed.

"Shut up." Thea said, "She's worried about you. If you still have nightmares then you clearly need to talk about it." She shook her head.

"Why did she tell you that?" Punk questioned.

"I am the first born. She tells me everything." Thea smirked as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Well maybe just leave this to me and your mom." Punk said as Thea turned to him, "I'm serious." He said in a more serious tone as she looked at him.

"Start talking to her then and I'll butt out." She made clear.

"You're acting like I'm ignoring her." Punk laughed a little, "Like you're playing counsellor to our marriage."

"Hey, trust me. If my marriage is as good as yours for the length of time you've been together, I'll be lucky." Thea promised, "It's not about your marriage. It's about you in prison. Mom just feels like you've shut her out from that, and obviously that worries her so just… just talk to her. Maybe there's some stuff that you're nervous about telling her, maybe you got into trouble, maybe you came across some bad people… she'll understand. It's mom. She'll always be ready to defend you, even when your ass is in the wrong." She reminded him as Punk smiled a little and nodded.

"Yeah, I know." He sighed to himself. That was the hard part.

"It is none of my business." Thea agreed, "But… I feel like, she deserves to know." She said as Punk sighed to himself.

"You're a pain in my ass, you know that?" Punk nodded to her as Thea smiled.

"I know." She smiled, sipping on her coffee as she looked onto the ice, getting ready to come back from intermission, "Do you think he is actually enjoying himself or just… putting up with it?" She wondered, looking on at James.

"He is pretty quiet." Punk said, turning to James beside him who was pretty content eating his hot-dog and watching the people on the ice and the players getting ready to play again.

"He is quiet." Thea agreed as Punk turned to her, noticing concern in her tone.

"Yeah but… that's not a bad thing." Punk made clear.

"I know that." Thea said, "But he is… really quiet." She emphasised.

"Do you not remember the way Jude was when she was that age?" Punk asked her, "Girl just slept everywhere she went." He nodded as Thea chuckled a little.

"Yeah, I remember." Thea nodded, "I don't know, maybe it's because Sofia is so… out there."

"Sofia is crazy." Punk agreed as Thea nodded, "But he's fine." He said quietly, looking on at James, "He's just vibin. Taking everything in." Punk nodded, watching as James spilled ketchup down his t-shirt from the hot-dog.

"Babe, careful you're spilling." Thea said as James looked down, unbothered as Punk smiled.

"He's just quiet. Kids are all different." Punk nodded to her.

"I know. He does really good at school so… I don't know, I guess you just sort of worry about every little thing." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, you do." Punk understood.

"Jude sent me a picture of Mirren in the bath the other night." Thea smiled, "I think she's been doing a lot more with her. She went out with her and Sean too." She nodded.

"Yeah, they called in on their way home. They went out for lunch somewhere." Punk nodded, "She's doing a lot better. Still at therapy twice a week and… it doesn't seem like it's such a chore for her to go either. You know, I… I think she's really comfortable with it." He said as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Thea said, "I'm just glad to see her getting back to her normal self and being able to bond with Mirren. I'd hate for her to miss out on all that stuff." She said as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, she's doing good." Punk smiled.

"You heard anything from Cassie about mom's mom calling?" Thea asked him.

"No, nothing. I think she's stopped harassing the station." Punk said.

"You worried about it?" Thea asked him as Punk shook his head.

"No, she… she can do all the harassing she wants to do. Her husband tried to kill me. He was unstable and… out of his mind." Punk shook his head, "More than the usual kind." He said as Thea nodded, "Your mom's parents were just like Sam. Toxic and a waste of space." Punk said, "People who should never have been given the privilege to be parents." He shook his head as Thea nodded.

"Well you guys got your own family. You don't need them. Never have." Thea nodded as Punk smiled.

"We best get some goals here." Punk sat up eagerly as the game started back up, turning to James who was watching on curiously. It was impossible not to smile.


	81. Other Ways

**Other Ways**

* * *

"Hey, how was the game?" AJ smiled, watching Punk walk into their bedroom where she had just gotten out the shower.

"It was good." Punk nodded to her.

"Did James have fun?" She asked him as Punk nodded.

"Yeah. He wasn't too expressive but he was smiling a lot." Punk nodded.

"He's so sweet. Every time he comes here he asks if my head is sore." AJ placed her hand on her chest, "I can't take it."

"Yeah, he's a sweetheart." Punk agreed, taking his jacket off and laying it down on the bed as AJ put some shorts and t-shirt on, "Cass still at work?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's working late tonight." AJ nodded, brushing her wet hair as Punk nodded, watching her closely as she winced a little.

"Ape, your head sore?" Punk asked her.

"No, it's fine." AJ lied calmly as he looked across at her, "It's just the bruising-"

"Let me help you." He shook his head, walking over to her as she handed him the hairbrush, turning around as he brushed her wet hair gently.

"Thank you." AJ said as he shook his head.

"You don't have to thank me." Punk said, "I'm here to help you." He reminded her as AJ smiled softly.

"Yeah, I know." She said as he stood back, handing the brush back to her once he'd brushed all the wet tugs out, "The girls always wanted you to brush their wet hair because I was too rough." She remembered, "Thea would… brush Cassie's for her since you weren't there." She nodded as Punk looked over, "What?" She noticed him looking at her funny.

"Is there things you wanna ask me, April?" Punk asked her as she looked over at him, "Because I'm not… I'm not having a conversation with you through Thea." He made clear as AJ gulped a little.

"That's not what this is." AJ made clear, "I just know that you… you talk to the girls and I didn't know if you'd maybe told them about prison. More than what you've told me-"

"And why would I do that?" Punk asked her, "You will always be the first person I tell everything to. You always have been." He said, "I love my kids but… this stuff isn't for them to know. It's not for them to be involved with. They suffered enough whilst I wasn't here." He said.

"Every time I bring it up you just… dismiss it." AJ shrugged.

"What is it you want me to tell you?" Punk asked her, "What do you think happened whilst I was in prison?"

"I don't know, Phil. Things that are bad enough to give you nightmares after being out for years. You've blocked those eight years out. You act like they don't exist." She said, "But it was eight years. That's a long time and I'm sure more than just a couple of fights happened-"

"What are you asking me?" Punk asked, "Do you want me to tell you about all the horrible people I met? All the horrible things that happened? All the horrible things I did?" He asked her.

"You did?" AJ raised her eyebrows.

"Why is it so hard for me to just… move on from it all?" Punk asked her as AJ looked at him, "I don't sit and beg you to tell me about everything you went through-"

"That's because I tell you anyway." AJ said, "Because I want to talk to you about it. Because it makes me feel better." She explained as he looked at her, "So you understand when you don't wanna talk about it with me, it makes me feel like a piece of shit-"

"This… this honestly has nothing to do with you. This is how I feel." Punk made clear, "You know I'll tell you anything-"

"Then do it." AJ said, "Tell me what happened. You don't get to act all responsible and proper with me. It's me here. We've did horrible things together." She reminded him, "Anything you tell me would never change how I see you. Ever." She made clear as he looked across at her.

"There's nothing to tell. It's… It's really not that interesting." Punk shook his head, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm not interested in if it's interesting or not." AJ said, "I want you to get it off your chest. I don't want you to live with that burden for the rest of your life. Just let it all out and tell me." She said as he looked over at her.

"I've done just fine without talking about it." Punk assured her.

"You might think you have but it's me you live with. I see you. What about all those panic attacks? The nightmares you still have?"

"That's normal." Punk said.

"Is it?" AJ questioned, "I know how much I felt every minute of that eight years. But I had my girls. I had my freedom. I had some sort of escape at times. You didn't.." She said.

"I know that." Punk said, "It was just… fights and people. Nothing more." Punk shook his head.

"What people?" AJ asked him, "People that hurt you?" She asked worriedly as he shook his head, "People that you hurt?" She questioned as he looked at her.

"Look, this isn't gonna help me." Punk made clear. It was already making his heart beat rapidly. He couldn't face talking about it. It seemed impossible.

"It will." AJ said, "Just tell me what you remember, the things that still give you nightmares, get it off your chest and maybe it… it won't become such a nightmare, maybe it'll help and if it doesn't then… I'm still there for you." She made clear as he shook his head.

"No, it's fine. I'm not… I don't need to talk about it to feel better." He took a deep breath as AJ looked over at him, folding her arms.

"I'm worried about you." AJ shook her head.

"I'm fine." He assured her.

"I don't think this is fine." She said.

"Why are you bothering me about this now?" Punk asked her.

"Bothering you? Phil, I care about you." AJ shook her head, "It's ridiculous that I have to say that aloud to you given we've been together for thirty plus years." She said, "I thought maybe you'd come around to opening up as the years went on. I didn't wanna pressure you at first. And then… there's been other stuff that's gone on. Thea's problems, Jude getting hurt-"

"Talking about it won't make me feel better so what's the point? It's just gonna remind me of it all." He said, "And I… I don't need you to know what happened." He said.

"I'm your wife." AJ said, "It's actually my job to know things about you that I'm not supposed to." She reminded him. The more he spoke about it, the more nervous she grew as she realised there was something or some things that he was deliberately not talking about, and that scared her, but it didn't make her want to run. She just wanted to be there for him.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Punk shook his head, "So quit asking me. And quit making me feel bad for not wanting to talk about it-"

"Phil." AJ sighed.

"No, I'm not talking about it." He insisted frantically.

"Ok… ok." AJ nodded calmly, noticing he was starting to get flustered about it. It was hard for her to see because she knew that wasn't the Phil she knew.

"I'm uh… I'm gonna go make some food." Punk said as AJ looked at him, "You want something?"

"I'm ok." She nodded, watching as he left the room, sighing to herself and sitting down on the edge of the bed. She was imagining the worst, but she was sure it was a whole lot worse than the worst she was imagining.

* * *

"_You don't have to check that every time you get in here." Tom laughed a little, walking back into their cell after dinner where he saw Punk checking his pictures were still in the hiding spot he'd shown him._

"_Yeah, I do." Punk insisted, counting the four pictures. The one of AJ, one of Thea, one of Jude, and a baby sonogram picture of his unborn child._

"_No one comes in here. Not unless there's a riot and we're all loose." Tom assured him._

"_How many riots have you seen?" Punk asked him curiously._

"_Five or six." Tom nodded, "Guaranteed one of every year at least. Last one we had one of the guards got killed. You gotta watch yourself." He emphasised._

"_Who are those guys that sit together at the far away corner?" Punk asked him._

"_Joey and his crew?" Tom asked, "Yeah, stay away from them." He advised._

"_What's their deal?" Punk asked, sitting down on the bottom bunk._

"_Well I don't know much because I'm not involved. I've been here for a long time so everyone sort of leaves me alone." Tom said, "Word is they're still running all kinds of shady business on the outside."_

"_They all know each other?" Punk asked._

"_Only from being in here together." Tom said, "I've known some cruel people in my time but… they're on another level." Tom shook his head, "I swear some of the guards just turn a blind eye to it because they're scared of him."_

"_Him… Joey, that's the one with the scar on his chin?" Punk asked as Tom nodded._

"_If you're talking about your pictures being stolen… he's probably one to watch out for." Tom said, "His sentence is for drugs and what not but… heard he was supposedly doing things with underage girls too." He said as Punk looked at him, "You see the picture I'm painting?" He nodded._

"_Yeah, I get it." Punk shook his head, running his hands through his hair._

"_Just stick with me, stay away from them and you'll be fine." Tom assured him, "They tend to pick on fresh meat that have come in, to see if they're worthy to join the clan but… they normally pick on the young ones. The vulnerable ones." He shook his head, "You got your wits about you. You'll be fine." He nodded, suddenly hearing strange noises coming from the cell next to them._

"_I swear that's the sixth time today." Punk looked up at Tom, standing up and walking over to the cell door, hanging his hands out of the bars, "Hey, Terry!" Punk yelled out, "Shut the fuck up and give your dick a rest!" He yelled as Tom chuckled to himself._

"_You get used to it." Tom laughed as Punk shook his head._

"_I don't think I'm ever getting used to hearing some guy masturbate eight times a day." Punk shook his head, "He woke me up with it this morning." He told Tom who nodded._

"_Believe me, it's sad, but you will get used to it." Tom chuckled, patting him on the back as Punk groaned, collapsing on his bottom bunk face first._

* * *

"Hey, baby. How was work?" AJ smiled, standing in the kitchen as she saw Cassie coming home later through the night.

"It was fine. Why are you still awake?" Cassie asked curiously, followed by a tired yawn as she looked in the fridge.

"Can't sleep." AJ shook her head.

"Your head?" Cassie assumed.

"It's a little sore." AJ went along with it, "You want me to fix you something to eat?" She asked.

"No, mom. I can manage myself." Cassie smiled sweetly, "You should get to bed. It's super late." She said.

"I know I know, I'm going." AJ smiled, watching as Cassie took some things out the fridge, "Hey, Cass… I really don't wanna ask this but… how likely is it that you could find me someone's address?" She asked as Cassie shut the fridge over, revealing her face, unimpressed.

"I don't fancy losing my job, mom. I'll be honest." She said.

"I know, look I… I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate." AJ said, "It's not to harm anyone. I just need to talk to someone."

"Someone whose address you don't even know?" Cassie questioned, "What's going on?" She asked as AJ looked across at her.

"It's your dad. I'm worried about him." AJ nodded, "About prison."

"So whose address are you looking for?" Cassie asked with confusion.


	82. Finding Out More

**Finding Out More**

* * *

AJ knocked on a door nervously, stepping down on the step as she waited for an answer, looking around the quiet neighbourhood. She felt like she was doing something she shouldn't have. The guilt was already there. She was doing something she probably shouldn't have but she didn't feel like she had a choice.

She watched suddenly as a man opened up the door. He was older, perhaps in his sixties. Rough around the edges. His hard life definitely showed on his appearance.

"Hi." AJ said nervously as the man looked at her with confusion.

"Hi." The man repeated with a questioning tone, "Who might you be?" He said teasingly as AJ looked at him.

"I'm April… April Mendez." AJ said as the man looked at her, still confused, looking at her more closely.

"Do I know you?" He wondered. The name wasn't registering with him, but he definitely felt like he'd seen her from somewhere. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"No, we… we haven't met before." AJ nodded, "You were cell mates with my husband. Phil Brooks." She said as Tom, Punk's former cell mate, raised his eyebrows.

"Oh." Tom realised he recognised her from pictures, "Oh, yeah. April." He nodded, remembering the pictures clearly, "Shit, how is Phil? He's not dead, is he? Or back inside?"

"No… no, he's good." AJ assured him as Tom smiled and nodded, "I'm really sorry to just show up like this. I was just wondering if you could help me."

"Help you?" Tom asked as AJ nodded, "I'm trying to think what you could possibly want my help with?" He laughed a little.

"It's about Phil. When he was in prison." AJ said as Tom looked across at her, "He's been out for a long time now, obviously and… he's never really spoken to me about anything that happened. All he spoke about was you. How you were a good friend to him." She nodded as Tom smiled a little.

"He was a good guy. I liked him." Tom nodded, "Does he know you're here right now?" He asked curiously.

"No… no, and I don't wanna be here. Don't take that the wrong way. I'd really rather not go behind his back but… he's just really worrying me about this and… he won't talk to me about it. Even when I've begged him to. He just won't." AJ said.

"Don't you think maybe… it's a better idea to respect that he doesn't want you to know." Tom shrugged, "Instead of coming to me for information."

"I know my husband. I know that if he can talk to me about it he'll feel better. He just struggles with the initial confrontation of it all." AJ said as Tom looked across at her.

"And how do I know he won't come beat my ass for telling you stuff?" He asked.

"Because I know he respects you. And trust me, it's me he'll be mad with." AJ nodded, "And I can handle him." She assured him as Tom sighed a little.

"I don't like this." Tom admitted, "But I like Phil and… if he's struggling, and he needs to talk about it then… yeah, come in." He nodded to her.

"Thank you." AJ nodded to him, walking on into the house as Tom followed.

"Can I get you a drink? Whiskey? Vodka?" Tom asked as AJ laughed a little.

"Normally it's tea or coffee." AJ said.

"Not in my house." Tom said, "Or are you like your boy? All straight laced?" He chuckled, "When I first met Phil I said… a drug dealer? And you've never even gotten high before? The most bizarre thing I've ever heard." He shook his head.

"I don't drink." AJ nodded.

"I can give you some tap water if you want?" He asked.

"No, I'm good, thanks." AJ said, "You have a… nice house." She looked around, lying of course. It was very cluttered and messy with some of the most odd things lying around like a random squat rack in the centre of the living room.

"Nah, it's a shite hole." Tom insisted.

"Yeah, it is actually." AJ agreed as Tom smiled.

"You're like him." Tom pointed, "Same cheeky bastard attitude." He nodded, "It's good, I like it."

"Comes natural." AJ nodded as he smiled.

"So what is it you want to know, exactly?" He asked curiously, standing in the living room with her, "Because I mean… it was eight long years. We'd be here a long time if you wanted every detail."

"Just anything… traumatic that might have happened to him or… anything that might still be bothering him. I just wanna help him." AJ shook her head.

"Well, no offence, love… but, it's prison. It's all traumatic." Tom nodded, "How many times have you seen your husband cry?"

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"How many times?" Tom asked.

"I don't know. He cries at commercials sometimes. He's not out of touch with his sensitive side, believe me." AJ said.

"I bet I've seen him cry more than you." Tom nodded as she looked at him, "And I'm just a stranger he lived with for eight years. You're his wife." He said, "It's different in there. Minutes literally feel like years, and that's not an over exaggeration." He made clear.

"I know that." AJ understood, "I know all of it was tough for him. And living in that environment must have been awful but… he still has nightmares, really bad ones. And he's deliberately avoiding talking about it all to me and I know it's because he doesn't want me to know things."

"He probably doesn't wanna tell you the things he seen because it's awful stuff." Tom said.

"Like what? What's the awful stuff? That's what I wanna know so he doesn't feel so… alone. So he doesn't feel like he can't talk about it with me." She said.

"He's never gonna wanna talk about that stuff. With anyone." Tom said.

"Well I'm not just anyone." AJ made clear.

"He had pictures of you. You and your kids." Tom said, "There was a riot and they got stolen. You know where they found the pictures of your kids?" He asked her as AJ looked at him, "In a paedophiles cell." He said as AJ looked at him, feeling sick coming up her throat a little as she placed her hand over her mouth, "Now you tell me how he's supposed to sit you down and tell you things like that." He said as AJ stood in silence, "Because let me tell you, that wasn't even the worst it." He said, "You gotta live with that. You gotta put up with shit. From other prisoners, from guards, social workers… and they all think they got you figured out." He nodded.

"How can they let things like that happen? Isn't there some kind of order or… discipline? I mean, it's prison for God sake." AJ shook her head, placing her hand on her forehead.

"It's just as bad in there as it is on the streets." Tom said, "And you go through phases. Phil did. I always wondered how he'd wake up. Would he start a fight that day? Would he stay in bed all day? Would he stay quiet?" He shrugged.

"Did he start fights?" AJ asked him.

"Yeah, all the time. He wasn't idiot sometimes and don't worry, I let him know he was." He said, "But the physical violence doesn't hold a candle to the mental violence and torture." He nodded, "And Phil was a target because he actually had a life. A wife and kids. A home." He said, "Most guys locked up don't have nothing and that's what makes them so… cruel." He said, "There was these group of guys that he had some issues with. They ran their businesses under the guards noses. Got away with all of it." He said, "Bullies, in simple terms." He nodded.

"Phil hates bullies." AJ whispered.

"Yeah, that was clear." Tom nodded, "He constantly got beat up by then. One of them found your address and so he thought you and your kids were in danger." He said, "He had to call his brother to go watch your house for a few nights, and stay with you-"

"I remember that. I… I'd just had Cassie and I thought Dean was just helping." She realised.

"He had issues with two of the guys in particular. Joey who… sat at the top of the food chain, I guess. And another guy who he never really spoke to me about." He said, "Guards set him up one time. Told him he was getting a private visit with you and the kids. Got his eyebrow bone broken instead." He said as AJ sighed to herself, feeling her chest heavy hearing all of this, "He's got pride. I don't doubt that him sitting down and telling you all this stuff wouldn't be difficult. It is. It's difficult just to come to terms with it yourself, but to let other people in on all that misery… it's tough." He said.

"What else happened?" AJ worried.

"You really want me to tell you more?" Tom asked.

"I need to know." AJ braced herself.

* * *

"_Don't go over there." Tom warned, sitting out in the yard with Punk, playing gin with the cards at one of the benches whilst Punk looked over at the group of guys he'd been watching for the past few weeks._

"_They're gonna kill that kid." Punk shook his head._

"_Yeah and then they'll kill you if you say anything. Trust me. Mind your business." Tom warned._

"_No way." Punk shook his head, standing up from the bench._

"_That's your funeral, kid." Tom shook his head as Punk wandered over to the other bench at the far side of the yard._

_He'd only been spectating the group from afar. He knew the main guy was pretty much the puppeteer for the rest of the group. And he watched as they picked on guys who, truthfully, were minding their own business. It bothered him and he couldn't sit still watching it._

"_Hey!" Punk called, wandering over to them, watching as the young boy lay on the grass with a bloody face, "You finished?" He asked them. They were perhaps his age, possibly older._

"_Who the fuck are you?" Joey laughed, amused and a little taken back by his appearance._

"_You ok, man?" Punk crouched down, helping the young guy sit up carefully._

"_I know you." One of the guys piped up, pushing by some of the other guys as Punk looked up._

"_Yeah? Well I don't know you, buddy." Punk shook his head, not recognising him as he focused his attention on helping the beaten up boy._

"_How'd you know him, Rob?" Joey chuckled as Punk paused a little, listening closely with confusion._

"_He's married to my sister." Rob folded his arms as Punk looked up. _

"_What did you just say?" Punk stood up straight, looking across at the guy who chuckled a little._

"_My little sister. April." Rob nodded._

"_You're her brother?" Punk questioned with confusion. Truthfully, he'd never met his wife's brother before. Not even when they were younger. He was never at home. He knew his wife had no relationship with him what so ever. He was slightly taken back._

"_Unfortunately." Rob chuckled as Punk looked at him. _

"_You know what my favourite thing is?" Joey asked Rob._

"_What?" Rob laughed, amused as he looked at Punk, having an intense stare-off with him._

"_When cons in here wanna act hero." Joey nodded, "Imagine. Playing the good guy in a prison?" He chuckled, "It doesn't exist." He made clear as Punk turned to him._

"_How is April?" Rob asked as Punk looked across at him, too busy staring at him to notice Joey throwing a punch at him, knocking him down to the ground as he immediately got back up and tackled him to the ground, rolling around the grass with him as others jumped in to defend Joey, including Rob._


	83. The Incident

**The Incident**

* * *

"There's no way I could tell you every little detail." Tom shook his head, looking across at AJ who was taken back by what she'd already heard, which was only the start of it, "And I don't think I want to stand here and tell you about all these things that happened to your husband."

"Well he's not gonna tell me." AJ shook her head, "If I know then he doesn't have to go through the process of sitting down and telling me. I can just be there for him. Tell him that I know and it's gonna be ok." She shrugged.

"But it was eight years. I can't sit here and tell you eight years worth of stuff that happened. That needs to come from him. I can reiterate things and explain it to you from my point of view but… even I don't know what was going through his head." Tom said as AJ sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"What did they do to him?" AJ asked, "This group of guys?" She questioned, "Did Phil know them? Did he know who they were?"

"No." Tom shook his head, "They were just bad guys who ran the prison. They had the guards turning a blind eye to things. Phil tried to stand up to them and just became a target." He said.

"So they… they would beat him up?" AJ asked as Tom nodded.

"It was a lot of mind games too." Tom said, "But yeah, it got physical sometimes too." He nodded, "Once you and your oldest stopped visiting, he started to… fight back a little harder. He lost his mind for a little while." He nodded.

"What does that mean?" AJ asked.

"He was put in isolation for a few weeks." Tom said, "When he came out he didn't speak to me until a few weeks after. He was just so shut off." He said, "But that's normal. Especially for someone serving a long sentence. I was in isolation too." He made clear as AJ sighed to herself.

"Were these guys on his case the entire time he was there?" AJ asked him.

"Pretty much. There was an incident that happened between Phil and Joey in the visiting room one time." Tom explained, "I figured you'd know about that at least."

"No… no, what happened? The visiting room?" AJ questioned as Tom looked across at her.

* * *

"_Hey, how's your mom?" Punk asked, looking across at eleven year old Jude who was visiting him, watching her as she done her homework._

"_She's fine." Jude answered. She was dropped off by Dean and picked up by him. After AJ and Thea stopped showing up, she was vocal about how she felt, even at such a young age. She wanted to see her father and that was final. AJ organised for Dean to take her to the prison for her to spend time with Punk after school every day. She always promised that whatever she and her husband went through, her daughter's made their decisions in regards to him. She was never going to keep them from him. _

"_And your sisters?" Punk smiled. It was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Having to put on a smile, to pretend he was ok. He'd been in prison for five years and he'd felt every second of those five years. It was torture. All of it._

"_My sisters are fine." Jude nodded to him, "Cassie has a cold and she had an ear infection too." She informed her father._

"_That's too bad." Punk nodded. It broke his heart to hear Cassie's name and not even know anything about her. To not have even met her, yet listen to Jude talk about her as such a close part of the family… it was challenging on so many levels._

"_Yeah, she woke me up last night." Jude said unhappily, "Crying. And I told her to just shut up." She rolled her eyes as Punk laughed a little._

"_That's not very sisterly." Punk smiled._

"_I need my sleep." Jude made clear as he laughed and nodded._

"_I know you do." Punk smiled, "How has school been?" He asked her._

"_Um, fine I guess." Jude nodded, "I stayed with Uncle Dean and Auntie Renee last night." She told him, "Because um…" She paused, realising her mother told her not to talk about Thea and the fact she was in hospital, "Because I wanted to." She smiled. It was so much for her little undeveloped brain to take in, but she did her best._

"_Did you have fun?" Punk smiled, "What'd you have dinner?"_

"_Spaghetti meatballs." Jude told him as Punk smiled. The only bright spots in his days was getting to see his Jude. He could do his best to forget about everything going on around him and just watch her. It meant so much to him that she still longed to come visit him and see him. It gave him some last remaining hope that he still had somewhat family._

"_You been drawing any new pictures lately?" Punk asked her._

"_Oh, yeah." Jude nodded, reaching down into her bookbag and pulling out her sketch book excitedly, "I finished this one last night." She showed him, turning the pad around as Punk looked at her latest drawing. She was super talented, and he wanted to make sure she knew that._

"_This is amazing." Punk said with amazement as Jude looked on, "Babe, you just keep getting better and better. I love it." He shook his head as Jude smiled, "Isn't there a club or something you can join?" He wondered._

"_Mom has looked for me but she hasn't found anything." Jude explained, "I like doing it on my own." She said as Punk smiled and nodded._

"_Well it's amazing. You're so talented." He nodded as she smiled, "Seriously." He nodded to her, sliding the pad back over to her, noticing at the corner of his eye someone sitting down at one of the visiting tables beside him, turning around slightly and noticing it was Joey._

"_I've started a new one. Look." Jude showed him, turning her sketch pad back around as Punk looked on at it, keeping Joey in the corner of his eye, feeling him staring over._

"_It's great, babe." Punk nodded as Jude noticed Joey staring over._

"_That man is staring." Jude told him as Punk nodded._

"_Just ignore him." Punk nodded calmly, "Did Uncle Dean drop you off tonight?" He asked, trying to focus on Jude the best he could._

"_Yeah and he's coming to pick me up." Jude nodded, noticing Joey standing up from his empty table._

_Punk looked around, noticing there was conveniently no prison guards in the room like there usually was._

"_Brooks, is this your kid?" Joey smirked, walking over to the table as Jude watched._

"_Go away." Punk made clear calmly as Joey smiled, crouching down at the side of the table as Punk looked at him._

"_What's this?" Joey asked, taking the sketch book as Jude watched unhappily._

"_Put that back down." Punk stood up as Joey stood up straight._

"_I just wanna look, calm down." Joey said as Jude looked up. Punk felt cornered, torn between keeping his cool in front of his daughter and yet wanting to tear Joey's throat out with his own teeth._

"_Can I have it back?" Jude asked._

"_It's ok." Punk assured her calmly._

"_Quite the little artist, huh?" Joey smiled, flicking through the sketches, "The talented ones always come from no good parents." He said, staring at Punk who glared back, "Yeah, these are all good." He nodded to himself, flicking through the pages, suddenly beginning to rip the pages out in half as Jude gasped._

"_Hey!" Punk grabbed the book from him immediately, "What the hell is your problem?!" Punk yelled as Jude sat quietly watching, upset at seeing some of her drawings ripped out of her book so aggressively. _

"_Didn't like those ones." Joey smiled at him, "What you gonna do?" He asked Punk, "You gonna hit me in front of your daughter?" He smiled as Punk looked across at him. He was doing everything not to break, looking around the room in hopes a guard would come through, not that he supposed they'd do much in his favour._

"_Just leave us alone. You wanna talk about something then I'll come see you later. Right now you need to leave me alone." Punk warned as Joey smiled and nodded._

"_What if I do this?" Joey asked, pushing Punk a little on the shoulder as Punk barely budged and looked at him, "Huh?" He smiled, suddenly slapping Punk across the face hard as Jude jumped, horrified._

_Punk turned around, his breath getting choppy with anger as he looked at Joey, nostrils flaring as Joey smiled._

"_Don't." Punk shook his head as Joey smiled._

"_What about if I do… this?" Joey asked, stepping back and pushing Jude on the shoulder. He didn't get much time to taunt any more as Punk speared him immediately to the ground whilst Jude stood up worriedly and confused. _

_Punk had never felt rage like it, making sure every punch connected with Joey's face, getting off of him and grabbing him by the back of the head, throwing him into one of the tables, grabbing one of the chairs and breaking the legs from it, smashing it against Joey's back as he yelled in pain._

_Jude stood with fright, not moving as she watched her father become… not the father she knew and loved. _

_Punk knew this was exactly what Joey wanted, and that angered him, but what angered him more was anyone putting their hands on his daughter._

_Punk continued to beat on Joey, throwing him against the wall and choking him as Joey tried to get out of his grips. _

_Meanwhile guards began to spill into the room, one who grabbed a hold of Jude immediately, who wasn't thrilled about leaving her dad._

"_Dad." Jude called with worry as Punk turned around, watching as one of the guards was pulling Jude out of the room._

"_Jude." Punk began to walk over as other guards grabbed him, one which smacked him with a bat in the gut as Punk doubled over in pain._

"_Dad." Jude cried, upset and frightened as Punk looked up, watching as she was pulled out of the room crying._

"_Hey! Let me see her, man." Punk begged the guards desperately, "Come on, man!" Punk yelled angrily, trying to pull away but the guards, desperate to assure his daughter, feeling his head spinning, blood all over his fists as he looked at the messed up room, getting dragged out kicking and screaming._


	84. The Root

**The Root**

* * *

"Hey, where were you?" Punk asked, watching AJ walk into the kitchen where he'd just gotten home from work and was prepping dinner, "I was tempted to bring a pizza home but I found some self-control." He said triumphantly as AJ looked across at him. She wondered if he had subconsciously just blocked it all out.

"I was talking to your old cell mate." AJ said truthfully right away as Punk turned around.

"What?" Punk shook his head.

"Tom." AJ nodded, "He was nice, actually. I was expecting worse." She admitted.

"Wait… hold up." Punk looked at her, puzzled, "Are you serious? W-What… why were you talking to him?" He questioned.

"Because you won't talk to me." AJ shrugged, taking her coat off, "And I'm not having you dodge around this anymore." She said as Punk shook his head, screwing his face up.

"Are you serious?" Punk asked angrily, "You-You went and spoke to him to find out things?" He asked, hurt that she would do that.

"You can save being mad for later." AJ shook her head.

"How the hell did you find him?" Punk questioned, completely shocked and confused.

"Cassie helped me." AJ said as Punk ran his hands over his face and groaned loudly.

"You and those fucking girls." Punk shook his head angrily.

"Yeah… yeah, me and those fucking girls who care about you and are worried about you." AJ said.

"What'd he tell you?" Punk worried with concern, "What'd he say?"

"He told me about some incidents. About Joey, whoever the hell he is." AJ shook her head as Punk gulped, stepping back a little and placing his hands on his hips.

"You couldn't just leave this alone, could you?" Punk shook his head to himself, "You couldn't just respect that… that I don't wanna talk about this?!" He yelled, about to storm out of the kitchen as AJ grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

"Since when do you get scared of telling me things?" AJ asked, holding his hand tightly as he looked down at her, "It's me." She emphasised as he looked at her, "There is nothing you can't talk to me about. Nothing." She made clear, cupping his cheeks as he tried to turn away, "No, look at me." She told him as he looked down at her, "Tom told me some things. Not everything but enough for me to know that you suffered something in there that I might not be able to understand but I can try and I can help you." She said, "I should never have stopped visiting you." She shook her head, tears in her eyes. Of course there was guilt from her part, especially after hearing certain things from Tom.

"No… don't." Punk shook his head, running his hand down her arm as she kept her hands on his cheeks, "This isn't on you." He made clear.

"What'd they do to you in there?" She sighed as Punk looked down at her, "Please just tell me." She whispered.

"What do you already know?" Punk asked her, taking her hands from his cheeks.

"Just… this guy Joey clearly ran the place and you… had issues with him." AJ nodded, "Tom told me about what happened with Jude too." She said as Punk nodded slowly, "Why'd she never tell me?"

"I don't know why she never told you." Punk shook his head, "I thought she would."

"Tom told me about your pictures too." AJ said as Punk nodded, "Why wasn't there any order or discipline?" She shook her head.

"Because, April, it's prison. We're all just caged up like animals. Sometimes the guards caused the most problems." Punk shook his head.

"Tell me about Joey." AJ said, "Tom painted the picture that he was… the brunt of all the problems." AJ said as Punk ran his hands through his hair.

"Yeah, he was." Punk nodded, "He was in for drug related offences I think. He still ran the businesses under the guards nose. And he recruited other prisoners to help him. They were like a clique." He shook his head, "Always beating people up, causing trouble, starting riots." Punk nodded, "So I… I stepped in one day and they were on my back for the eight years I was there." He said as AJ looked at him.

"Did you know him before?" AJ asked as Punk shook his head.

"No." Punk shook his head, looking across at her. He knew now was the time to tell her. He couldn't dodge his way around it, "Your brother was there." He said as AJ looked at him, scrunching her eyebrows and looking at him, unconvinced.

"What?" AJ laughed a little.

"I'm serious" Punk said, "Your brother was in there with me." He nodded as AJ tilted her head, "Not that you even know him that well… but he was there, friends with Joey." He nodded as AJ looked at him.

"Rob?" AJ questioned as Punk nodded. She hadn't heard of or seen her brother since she was a little girl. He was older than her and left home when she was young. She knew that he was just like her parents, involved with no good street gangs, and quite frankly, she was glad not to have known him well. Nevertheless, this was still the last thing she expected to hear.

"Yeah, he was there. I didn't know him but… he knew me. He knew I was married to you so… I guess he kept more tabs on you than you'd think." Punk said.

"Wait a minute…" AJ shook her head with confusion, trying to take it all in, "You were in prison with my brother? Talking to him and seeing him every day?"

"Trust me, we weren't friends." Punk made clear to her as AJ looked at him.

"It never crossed your mind to tell me this, Phil?" AJ asked.

"Come on, don't… don't give me that. My entire prison life was blocked out the second I stepped out those gates. Plus, you barely know the guy-"

"It's still my brother." AJ shook her head in shock, "Why was he in?" She questioned.

"Drugs." Punk nodded, "Not a very good guy." He made clear as AJ looked across at him. She couldn't believe it.

"And he was… he was friends with this guy… Joey?" AJ questioned as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "I… April, I don't even know where to start with this." He sighed to himself, placing his hands over his face, "I mean, they made a situation for me that was already bad, even worse." He said, "Joey found out our address. I thought you were in danger so I made Dean come stay here with you for a couple weeks-"

"I remember that." AJ said, "I thought he was just coming to help me with the kids." AJ shook her head.

"They would jump me in the yard, the food hall, doing PI." He said, "And they'd… they'd say shit to get me all hot and then set me up with the guards. I got put in and out of isolation. Longest I was in was for five weeks. Five weeks of sitting in a cell, in the dark, locked in." He said as AJ looked across at him.

"And my… my brother was… joining in?" AJ questioned as Punk nodded.

"Yeah." Punk said, "I could take the beatings. You can heal from bruises and broken bones." He said, "But the mental torture? I-I've never experienced anything like it." He shook his head, "It was like… Rio part two." Punk placed his hand over his forehead as AJ sighed to herself.

"What would my brother get out of hurting you? He-He doesn't know you." AJ shook her head.

"He had the same mentality your dad did. Somehow, despite all they've done to you to hurt you, they still think that they're protecting you. They still think you're immune to all this shit and I'm the bad guy who got you into trouble." Punk shrugged, "I don't know what the fuck it's all about." He said, "I tried talking to him. I tried being civil. But somehow I'm the bad guy in their fucked up fantasy world they all live in." He said.

"Yeah because they want someone else to blame." AJ shook her head.

"You're like this safety blanket for them." Punk nodded, "Something to make them feel good. Yet… they had no problem abandoning you and exposing you to that world. Rob had no problem with Joey threatening you and our kids." He said, "Exactly like your dad… this phony fantasy that he was protecting you, yet, whilst holding a gun at the only people who were really there for you." He shook his head.

"They've always been like that. They would tell me how bad drugs are whilst handing me them." AJ nodded, "What would they say to you?"

"All sorts." Punk shook his head, "Your mind gets weak in there anyway so when people start playing with it, taunting and teasing you… it's scary. You start believing things that aren't true. You start becoming a different person. Like a remodelled version of yourself. You wonder if you're ever feel like what you felt like before you came into prison." He said as AJ looked over at him.

"Why couldn't you just tell me this?" AJ asked, "Tell me that you had issues with some guys, tell me about my brother being in there and giving you trouble?" AJ questioned as he just shook his head, looking down at the ground.

"I just… didn't want to get into it." Punk mumbled as AJ looked at him.

"I get that but…" She sighed, looking over at him, "Babe, I hate to say this but I'm still waiting on you telling me something." She said, "You got this look on your face. All of this is horrific and… I can't imagine what it felt like but… there's something you're not telling me. Something I don't think you're even telling yourself." She looked at him.

"No, that… that was it." Punk nodded to her, "They just gave me hell." He said as AJ looked at him.

"When you left, were they still in prison?" AJ asked him.

"Rob left a year before me." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"And Joey?" AJ looked at him as Punk looked across at her, staying silent, "Phil." AJ said calmly as Punk nodded.

"I uh…. I don't know when he left." Punk shook his head, looking down as AJ watched him.

"Phil." AJ said as he looked at her, "When did Joey leave prison?" She questioned as he looked at her, his eyes glistening as AJ looked at him, her stomach in knots as she sensed herself getting to the root of things.

"I don't know." Punk whispered, turning away from her as AJ looked at him, gulping and clasping her hands over her mouth with concern.

"He didn't make it out of prison, did he?" AJ realised as Punk looked at her, "You killed him?" She questioned as Punk looked across at her in silence.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys are all staying safe during this crazy pandemic! Lots of angst and drama to get you through coming up! Thanks for the reviews and support. There WILL be a fifth story, but this one is far from over.**


	85. Reliving It

**Reliving It**

* * *

"Phil." AJ looked across at him, waiting on him saying something as he stood in silence, "What happened?" She whispered, looking at him almost ignoring her.

"Nothing… Nothing, I…" Punk shook his head, running his hand through his hair stressfully, "I didn't do anything." He began to pace as AJ watched him worriedly. It was like he was in complete denial.

"Something happened." AJ said as he shook his head, "Yes." AJ took his hand and pulled it a little with worry, "Phil, just tell me. Did you… Did you kill him?" She asked as he looked down at her, nodding slowly and swallowing the lump in his throat.

"I… I couldn't stop." He said as AJ looked at him, "I… I tried to." He said, desperately wanting her to believe him. He was under the impressions he wouldn't. He thought the worst of himself. He blocked it out so much that it was hard to confront it and admit it. It lived in the back of his mind, buried away. The more years went by, the further he'd managed to bury it.

"Ok." AJ nodded softly, "It's ok." She assured him as he looked at her, "What happened?" She asked him as he gulped, looking down at her.

"There was a… there was a riot. When there's a riot, guards aren't around, they're running around crazy, headless, scared they're gonna get stabbed or killed." He shook his head as AJ looked at him, "Joey came into my cell. Started talking shit-"

"When was this?" AJ asked curiously.

"A year before my release." Punk said as AJ nodded, "I was trying to stay out of trouble. If you get caught stirring stuff up in a riot you risk getting time added to your sentence and I was a year out. I didn't want to risk it. So I stayed in my cell." He said, "But Joey came in and just… started getting in my head." He said, walking away and turning his back to her, "I'd listened to it for seven years." He said tiredly, "I… I don't know what happened to me. It was like a flash." He shook his head as AJ watched him, "I beat him to death." Punk turned around to her as AJ looked at him.

"_Hey, buddy." Joey smirked, walking into Punk's cell as Punk lay on the bottom bunk, sitting up immediately. He'd been sat watching prisoners running by, listening to the chaos emerging from the progressing riot out in the corridors and running through the prison building. _

"_What the hell do you want?" Punk stood up as Joey shrugged, not giving him an answer. He never really wanted anything but to torment and grind on his nerves. It had been like that for seven years. _

"_Why you not out there enjoying the party?" Joey asked him._

"_Don't feel like it." Punk shook his head as Joey nodded with a smile, walking further into the cell, "Shouldn't you be out there? Leading them all to victory?"_

"_There's no victory in a place like this." Joey chuckled to himself as Punk looked across at him, "For a guy who used to work with King Rio you sure are… boring." He shook his head with confusion, "What happened to you? What changed?" He wondered, "Was it the little kiddies?"_

"_Shut the fuck up." Punk advised._

"_Or was it… your lovely wife. April." Joey smiled as Punk glared across at him, "Yeah, her picture has been passed around this place a lot." He chuckled as Punk felt sweat forming in his curled up fists, "You got any new ones lying around? I could do with some new material." He chuckled as Punk shook his head._

"_You're fucking disgusting." Punk said, "Why don't you just get the hell out of here? Aren't you tired of me?" He asked._

"_No, actually. Even after seven years it's still fun annoying you." Joey smiled as Punk glared across at him, "You're being a good boy because you're getting out of here soon, aren't you?" He already figured._

"_Yeah, exactly, I'm getting out of here. People like you, this is it for you." Punk said, "Stuck in here, worthless and unloved."_

"_Does that make you worthless and unloved too?" Joey asked. _

"_I got a family to go home to." Punk said. Although uncertain of that, he still had to hope for it._

"_Do you?" Joey chuckled, "I thought your wife and oldest hadn't visited you in years?" He smirked, knowing all the intel from guards giving him the scoop on visitors, "She's probably fucking some other dude as we speak. It wouldn't take me any convincing to have a go on her." He laughed as Punk immediately grabbed him by the throat and pushed him against the wall._

"_I'm fucking sick of punching you face!" Punk yelled angrily as Joey looked at him, gasping for air, "Just get the fuck out of my cell." He spat, pushing Joey over towards the gate as he stumbled over, massaging his neck as Punk tried to calm down._

_He'd taken so much. Beatings, mental torture and mind games. There was only so much he could take and hear. Especially after seven years of it. He often questioned why he was such a focal point for Joey, but then it hit him. Jealousy. Jealousy of family and people who loved him. It was a rare in the place they were in for anyone to have that kind of positivity waiting on the outside. Even if it was uncertain. His family, his love for them was oddly his downfall in this rotten place. _

"_Nah, I'd… I'd pass on your wife, actually." Joey chuckled, coughing and choking a little as he rubbed his throat, straightening up, "However… your daughters." He smirked as Punk turned around, "I know what I'm doing when I get out of here… or who I'm doing." He chuckled as Punk looked at him, seeing red, feeling an entire rush come over him as he tackled Joey to the ground, punching him and punching him. He couldn't stop. He'd been in many fights in his lifetime, and there was always his conscience in the background telling him to stop, but somehow… that was no longer there. _

_He kept punching until he ran out of steam, standing up straight and stumbling over to the wall, sliding down it as he felt his legs numb, looking at his bleeding and open wounded knuckles, hands shaking as he ran them through his hair, looking over at Joey who lay completely still, with not so much as a movement in his chest to indicate sign of life._

_He was too far gone to comprehend what he'd actually just done. _

"_Damn, it's crazy out-" Tom walked into the cell, pausing immediately as he saw Joey lying in their cell on the ground, his face unrecognisable with the blood and gashes on it. He turned to Punk who sat against the wall, knees pulled up to his chest as he looked at his shaking hands in front of him._

"W-What happened after?" AJ asked, looking across at her husband as he explained what happened, "You obviously… didn't get caught." She said.

"Well there was a riot going on. I guess that was my blessing in disguise. Prisons see multiple deaths during a riot, and they always get swept under the rug." Punk said, "Tom and I just moved him out of our cell. Tom let me punch him in the face a couple times to… to make it look like the bruises on my knuckles were from a fight with him." Punk said as AJ nodded slowly.

"And no one questioned how Joey was… beaten to death?" AJ questioned, "What about my brother?"

"He was gone by that time. In fact he'd not long been released." Punk said, "There was no CCTV in my cell or outside the cell so… they'd never trace it to me. If it was in the yard or the food hall… maybe it would have been a little harder." He said, "But I don't think anyone, especially the guards, were mad about him being dead." He said.

"Why couldn't you tell me?" AJ shook her head.

"Why would I want to?" Punk looked at her.

"Phil, this man… this man tortured your for seven years. He messed with your head. Broke you." She said, "You've only told me a little bit and I can't imagine having to deal with that for seven years. No wonder you snapped." She said. She wasn't mad nor did she judge him. In fact, it seemed pretty humane for him to have broken the way he did after so much abuse and torture.

"I couldn't stop. I wanted to kill him." Punk made clear to her.

"It was a… highly emotional situation-"

"Bullshit, Ape. I killed the guy." Punk said as she looked at him.

"After what he said to you about the kids, after the way he treated you, mentally and physically abused you… I don't blame you." AJ said.

"Yeah well you stuck by me when I was dealing so I'm not surprised you don't see any fault in this." He said as AJ screwed her eyes up.

"What the hell does that mean?" AJ spat, "It sounds like you're having way more trouble accepting what happened than I am." She said, "I don't doubt something as traumatic as that needs to be quickly buried to the back of your mind and maybe… maybe now you're just starting to deal with it, and I'm here to help… you don't have to push me away. You aren't alone anymore." She made clear.

"I killed him." Punk repeated as she looked across at him.

"You stood up for yourself. Defended yourself-"

"No… no…" He mumbled to himself with frustration as AJ looked at him, "No, he didn't even touch me-"

"He threatened your family. He was beating on your for seven years. You shouldn't feel so guilty-"

"Why shouldn't I?" Punk questioned.

"Because you were broken in there. Lying in isolation for weeks. Listening to people talk about me and the girls. Us being threatened. Physically being abused. You're human. You can only take so much." She emphasised as Punk shook his head. Hearing it all was making him relive it, just like the nightmares, and it was hard to breathe.

"I-I need air." Punk shook his head, backing up and stumbling against the door.

"Phil, please don't go out like this." AJ said with concern, not wanting him to leave the house in the state he was in.

"No, I need… I need to go." Punk insisted, leaving the kitchen, feeling like if he didn't get out he was going to suffocate.

"I'll come with you." AJ insisted, chasing after him down the hall, "Phil, please don't go on your own." She begged, watching him quickly rush away from her and leave the house as quickly as possible.

She feared he was in the midst of a panic attack. He seemed so far away and she wondered if the unveiling all of this was leaving him traumatically stressed. It certainly seemed like it and she didn't blame him after what she'd just found out.

She walked back into the kitchen worriedly, taking her phone out from her purse and calling one of her daughter's.

"Hey, Jude." AJ said softly, placing her hand on her chest, "Y-Yeah, yeah I'm ok." She said, "I just need your help. It's your dad."


	86. Roles Reversed

**Roles Reversed**

* * *

Jude walked down the docks with Mirren in her stroller, looking around for her father. When her mother called her and explained in detail what was going on, and how worried she was about her dad leaving the house in the state he was in, she knew she had to go out and find him, and talk to him.

Sean was at work which meant she had to take Mirren with her in the stroller. Luckily she was a sleeping angel at this time of night.

She continued to walk down the docks, eventually noticing her father sitting on a stack of wood planks. She walked over to him, watching him lift his head and notice her, the look of dread already on his face regardless.

"Hey." Jude said softly, putting the stroller on break close beside her as she sat down beside him.

"What are you doing here?" Punk asked her, "Well, actually… I know why you're here. Mom probably called you, right?" He turned to her as Jude nodded.

"She's real worried." Jude said, "She said she thought you were having a panic attack when you left the house." She said as Punk nodded.

"That's because I was." Punk said. He figured there was no point in hiding it. Not now.

"And you thought running away was gonna help it?" Jude asked him.

"Yeah. It did." Punk turned to her, "See, not panicking anymore." He pointed to himself as Jude frowned a little, "I just need a bit of space, Jude."

"Well I'm not giving you space." Jude insisted as he looked at her, "You can't avoid things. Trust me." She said.

"Did she tell you?" Punk wondered as Jude nodded to him, "And you… you're fine with it?" He questioned.

"No, I'm not fine with it." Jude shook her head with confusion, "I'm not fine with the fact you were so broken, so beside yourself and lost that you snapped." She said, "I know you. You wouldn't hurt a fly. You wouldn't even kill spiders in the house when were little." She smiled as he nodded to himself, "But none of us can ever understand what it was like to be in the position you were in." She said, "Yeah, we all suffered but at least me, mom, Thea and Cass all had each other. If we were having a bad day we could pick each other up. You didn't have anyone." She said, "And as if that wasn't bad enough, you were dealing with some lunatic who had it out for you." She said.

"I couldn't take it anymore." Punk shook his head, "I just remember feeling nothing in that moment. Nothing held me back. I just wanted it to stop." He said as Jude nodded.

"No one blames you for that." Jude assured him, "Living in those conditions, being mentally challenged every day, losing your family." She said.

"I just… I didn't feel like myself. For so long I just felt like a version of myself." He said, "And I had no control over anything." He nodded.

"Sounds kinda familiar." Jude nodded to him as he turned to her.

"What I went through is nothing like what you went through. You were attacked-"

"So were you." Jude assured him, "It doesn't matter what was worse. It still fucks with your head. When you go through anything traumatic, it's always there. Therapy can help, sure. Talking can help." She nodded, "But it's with you. All the time. That's the hardest part." She nodded.

"I thought I'd buried it away." Punk admitted, "I thought I'd dealt with it."

"Burying it to the back of your mind and not telling anyone isn't dealing with it, dad." Jude said, "It's just prolonging the healing." She said.

"It was so long ago, though." Punk sighed with frustration, "I wish I could just take it out of my head." He shook his head as Jude nodded.

"I know." Jude said, "But whatever you think of yourself isn't what we all think of you. The people who judge us the most are ourselves." She said, "I spent so long thinking that what happened to me was my fault. Even though, now I know it's very obvious it wasn't my fault at all, but there was a time I did think it was down to me." She nodded.

"What I did was my fault, though." Punk emphasised.

"But you're completely disregarding what this man did to you. The mental and physical torture. Seven years of it." Jude said, "You can only take so much."

"I just can't stop thinking about it." Punk shook his head, "It's getting worse." He recognised.

"The longer you ignore it, the worse it'll get. You know that. You were the one who would tell me that." She said.

"Well, it's my job to protect you." Punk said.

"Yeah and it's also your job to protect yourself." Jude reminded him, "Practise what you preach, right?" She said as Punk rolled his eyes, "Sounds to me like you're suffering PTSD." She nodded as Punk turned to her.

"No." Punk scoffed as Jude nodded.

"Yeah." She said simply as he turned to her, "I never thought that's what I suffered from. I was always focused on the anxiety and depression. I thought that was why I was so scared to go to bars. Or why I couldn't leave the house sometimes." She said, "But… it's all stress related to what happened to me." She nodded, "That's where it stems from. I can't go out for dinner with fiancé because I… I have it in my head that people are staring at me. I haven't worn a dress since I was twenty-one." She said, "Because it scares me." She said. She hoped if she could tell him the certain things that affected her, in unlikely ways, that it might have opened his eyes a little.

"I didn't know you still felt like that." Punk admitted.

"I do." Jude nodded, "So many things that didn't scare me before, things I wouldn't think twice about, terrifies me now." She said, "Obviously I know how to deal with it better but… that's the thing, there's no time limit on suffering these kind of things." She said as he nodded to himself, "So telling yourself that you've been out of prison for so long… doesn't really matter. It still happened and you still suffered." She said, "You gotta acknowledge that and stop being so hard on yourself." She nodded as Punk looked at her, "It's not gonna feel heavy like this forever." She assured him as he nodded.

He trusted Jude's word. That wasn't to say he didn't trust his wife and his other two children. But he'd saw what Jude had overcome, right in front of his eyes. He respected what she had to say about getting through things.

"Do you remember what happened? In the visiting room?" He wondered as she looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah." Jude nodded.

"I thought you wouldn't come back after that." He admitted.

"Why?" She questioned as he shrugged.

"I thought you'd be scared." He said.

"I was." Jude said, "But not of you. Never of you." She said.

"I don't forget that you still came to see me." He made clear as she nodded.

"I know." Jude smiled, "Maybe… it'd help for you to speak to someone professionally." She nodded as he huffed a little, "I know how thrilled that would make you but… clearly we're at the stage now where you need to consider it." She said, "Cause you don't have to suffer."

"It doesn't feel like anyone can say anything to make it go away." Punk said.

"You just think that." Jude said.

"I can't exactly show up and tell some therapist that I murdered someone in prison and I'm kinda having a hard time with it." Punk scoffed.

"Truthfully, I don't think it's just that that's bothering you. Seven years of this guy on your case. Confined in that small space. Seeing him every day, hearing him every day." Jude said, "It's nothing I can understand but talking about it with someone might help." She said.

"I don't know." Punk sighed to himself, "My head feels like it's burning with it." He shook his head, running his hands through his hair.

"You've kept it in for so long. Soon it'll start feeling like a relief that you put it out there." Jude said, "And it will get better. Trust me?" She questioned as he looked at her.

"You are the smart one. Don't tell Thea or Cassie I said that." He warned as she chuckled a little, "I just can't stop reliving it."

"It'll get better." She rubbed his arm softly, "And whatever you do, don't push mom away. She's there for you. She's upset, thinking that she shouldn't have stopped visiting you. Wishing she was there for you." She said.

"It's not her fault." Punk shook his head, "I just don't want her to think of me like that."

"She doesn't, that's the thing." Jude reminded him, "None of us will. You're like Superman to us." She smiled.

"I don't like Superman." He turned to her sadly as she chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"You're like Batman then." She corrected as he smiled like a child, "And you've always been there for me when I needed you." She said, "And I never believed you when you told me that things would get better… but they did so… there's your proof. It still gets hard, doesn't disappear but… it gets better." She said as he nodded.

"Maybe I'll just come to you for therapy." Punk said as she smiled.

"As long as you're talking to someone." She nodded, listening as she heard Mirren making noise in her stroller. She stood up and leaned in, lifting her out carefully into her arms as Punk watched with a smile.

She'd come such a long way in the past few weeks. From not bonding properly with Mirren, struggling to cope, to now handling her like it was second nature. It inspired him. His daughters always inspired him. They gave him hope. Strength.

"What's wrong?" Jude asked softly, sitting back down beside him, holding Mirren in her arms as Punk looked on with a smile.

"She looks a lot like you." Punk nodded.

"You think? I think she looks like Sean." Jude said, looking down at Mirren.

"Nah, she's all you." Punk nodded, "How hard are you gonna judge her fridge pictures when she gets older?" He smiled.

"Oh, so hard. I'll be expecting a certain level from her." She teased as Punk smiled.

"Can I hold her?" Punk asked as Jude nodded, passing her over to him as he held her in his arms. He did have a family behind him. A damn good one. Everything he went through was his own. His reasoning for keeping it to himself with his own, not anything to do with them. But he heard Jude loud and clear. It would get better.

"You still got it." Jude smiled, noticing Mirren's little eyes closing over as Punk rocked her a little.

"I'll always have it." He winked as Jude smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder and linking her arm through his.


	87. Time Away

**Time Away**

* * *

"We didn't have to go away, you know. We could have done it some other time." AJ said, sitting her bag down in the hotel room which they'd just arrived in a week later.

"No, it's your birthday. We celebrate birthdays." Punk nodded to her as she smiled. They'd had a weekend away trip planned for a while for her birthday, and given what had been going on the past week, AJ figured they might just skip on it, but he insisted they went. The girls thought it was a good idea for them to go and get away for the weekend.

"I know, but if you're not in the right place it's ok." AJ assured him.

"I'm ok." Punk assured her.

After speaking with Jude, he took to home and spoke more with his wife about prison. Not everything, there was simply too much to cover, but little things that he remembered the most. It wasn't easy but he knew they were behind him. He knew he had to get the false idea that they were disappointed in him out of his head. He was trying to be a little more understanding of his own self and his own actions. It was difficult but he was trying.

"Are you sure?" AJ asked, walking over to him and cupping his face. She was extremely worried about him. He'd certainly opened up to her a lot more, and she knew Jude speaking to him definitely got through. She knew he respected what Jude had to say, and trusted her word, even more so given what she'd overcome in her life. She was a strong girl and it definitely could rub off on people. She was glad about that.

"Yes, I'm sure." Punk smiled, taking her hands from his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "We're here to celebrate your birthday." He reminded her as she smiled.

"I just don't want you to be uncomfortable, that's all." AJ shook her head. She knew he was, mentally, in a difficult place. It wasn't like she'd never seen him in a tough spot in his life. That was the beauty of marriage and their relationship. They had seen each other through the good and bad. But she didn't want to make him feel like he had to forget about it just because it was her birthday.

"Are you kidding? Uncomfortable?" Punk asked, "I got a hotel with you for the entire weekend. I'm at my happiest." He assured her as she smiled.

"You know what I mean." She said quietly, placing her hand on his chest.

"I'm ok, I promise you." Punk nodded.

He was eternally grateful for the support from his wife. He didn't neglect telling her things because of her or because he felt like he couldn't talk to her. He was just under the impression it would change how she looked at him. Once he'd told himself that, it was hard to get out of his head, but he was working on it.

"We can just order room service if you like." AJ shrugged.

"I thought we had reservations for dinner downstairs?" Punk asked her.

"We do but… we can always cancel." She shrugged as he looked at her.

"Ok, listen to me." Punk said, taking her hands in his, "You don't have to tiptoe around me." He assured her as she nodded slowly.

After seeing how he got last week, she was worried about him and desperately didn't want to see him in that kind of state again. She could almost feel his suffering just by looking at him. She always knew his prison life was never enjoyable but she really didn't know it was to this extent, and it was hard for her to wrap her head around it.

"I know, I just… I don't know where you're at with it. Do you want to ignore it and just have a nice night or… do you wanna talk about it because we can. I'm fine with it. You know I'll listen." She emphasised.

"I just want to spend the night with my wife on her birthday. There's no schedule on what we need to talk about it. If it comes up, it comes up, right?" He said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah." AJ said, "Yeah, ok." She smiled, leaning up and kissing him sweetly, "Ok, well I'm gonna go start getting ready then." She smiled.

"Ok." Punk smiled, watching her as she took her bags and walked into the on-suite bathroom.

He was glad to have some time with his wife for the weekend. The initial anxiety and adrenaline from her finding out about what happened in prison was beginning to ware off and like Jude had said, it was getting easier. It was still torture in his mind, but it was easier to express it somehow and that already lifted weight from his shoulders.

* * *

"Ok, you can… you can get out now." Cassie nodded, buttoning her shirt up as she sat in the back seat of her car whilst a man sat beside her, doing his pants back up.

"You don't hide the fact you're not interested, huh?" The guy chuckled, whom she barely knew besides a few messages on a dating app.

"Guess not." Cassie looked over her shoulder at him.

"Will I see you again?" He asked her, grabbing his t-shirt from the car floor as Cassie shook her head.

"No. Come on, quickly. Get out." Cassie said.

"Alright alright." The guy chuckled, getting his things and getting out of the back of the car as Cassie rolled her eyes, climbing into the front seat behind the wheel to drive home and take a shower.

Once she had gone home and showered, she was headed to Thea's for dinner. She had been invited over since her parent's were out of town, and she wasn't going to pass the free food offer.

She walked on into her sister's house, feeling comfortable enough to do so, closing the door behind her as she suddenly watched Sofia running downstairs in just her underwear, giggling hysterically as she ran away down the hall.

"Sofia!" Thea yelled from upstairs as Cassie raised a brow, "Get back up here!" She called as Cassie watched Sofia running around the kitchen.

Cassie walked down the hallway and into the kitchen, "Hey, babe." Cassie nodded.

"Hi!" Sofia exclaimed, still giggling. She got a kick out of doing things she shouldn't have. She was like her mother in that department.

"You're aware you got no clothes on, right?" Cassie asked as Sofia nodded with a grin, "And you're aware your mom is calling on you?" She figured as Sofia nodded again with a grin, standing behind one of the kitchen chairs.

"Sofia!" Thea yelled, storming down the hallway and into the kitchen as Sofia squealed with excitement, running straight by Thea and back upstairs.

Thea turned to Cassie who smiled nervously.

"Hi." Cassie said, "Coming to your house is always a good form of mental birth control." She assured her as Thea blew a strand of hair which was dangling over her face.

"She thinks it's a game." Thea nodded in defeat as Cassie chuckled.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Cassie asked, "Where is Dominic?"

"He's picking up James from a birthday party." Thea said, "Can you give that pot a stir for me. I'll be down as quick as I can." She said.

"Ok." Cassie just laughed, turning around and stirring the pots at the stove whilst Thea headed back upstairs to try put some clothes on Sofia.

She eventually made it back downstairs with the excitable three year old, "Sorry about that." Thea said.

"It's fine." Cassie chuckled, "She's always got energy, huh?"

"The girl is killing me." Thea shook her head dramatically as Cassie smiled, "How was work?" She asked her sister.

"Work was good. Although, mom's mom is still calling the station. I've stopped telling her and dad about it cause… well I think they got more important things to focus on." Cassie shrugged.

"Yeah, I agree." Thea nodded, "They needed this break."

"Yeah, I think so." Cassie agreed, "I'm glad they went." She said, hearing Dominic get home with James who ran into the kitchen to greet his mom.

"Hi, baby." Thea smiled happily, crouching down.

"Hi." James smiled, hugging his mother tightly as Thea kissed his head.

"How was your party?" Thea asked, "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah." James nodded, "Hi, Sofia." He greeted his sister who was sat at the table.

"Hi, James." Sofia acknowledged him as Thea smiled.

"Well, dinner is nearly ready so go dump your jacket at the stairs and take your shoes off." Thea told him as he nodded, running back out of the kitchen, whizzing by Dominic who was entering.

"Hey." Dominic nodded to Thea and Cassie.

"Hey." Thea gave him a quick kiss in the middle of sorting dinner, "We had another refusal to put on pyjamas tonight." She told him as Dominic turned to Sofia.

"Sof." Dominic said as Sofia looked up, "You been misbehaving?" He asked her.

"No, daddy." Sofia shook her head innocently as Cassie chuckled, amused by her niece and her manipulating abilities.

"She's playing the both of you." Cassie nodded.

"It's ridiculous." Thea shook her head, sitting dinner down at the table, noticing Cassie's phone lighting up on the table, "Cass, here your phone is…" She paused, "Tinder?" She looked at her sister upon seeing the notification on the phone.

"Give me that." Cassie scoffed, ripping the phone from her.

"What the hell are you doing on tinder?" Thea laughed a little.

"What's tinder?" Dominic asked curiously.

"It's a hook-up app." Thea said, "This is scandalous." She smiled at her sister.

"It's actually referred to as a dating app." Cassie said.

"So you're dating someone?" Thea wondered.

"Well… no." Cassie shook her head.

"Cassie, Cassie, Cassie…" Thea hummed.

"Can we just… not talk about this." Cassie emphasised, feeling uncomfortable as Thea just chuckled and nodded.

"Sure." Thea shrugged calmly.

"I'm gonna see what James is up to." Dominic said. He was used to his wife and her sisters talking so freely in front of him. It really just went over his head most of the time.

As soon as he left the kitchen Thea turned her attention back to Cassie, "So are you hooking up with guys?" She asked.

"God, Thea… really?" Cassie turned to her.

"What?" Thea shrugged.

"Yes. Yes, I am." Cassie nodded as Thea looked at her.

"Why?" Thea shook her head, "I mean… it's good you're starting to move on from Theo-"

"I've not moved on." Cassie made clear.

"Ok." Thea nodded.

"Look, I work twelve hour shifts all week. I don't want a relationship. Certainly not after what happened with Theo." Cassie said.

"You can't let that scare you. I'm sure he wouldn't want that." Thea said.

"This is easier for me." Cassie said.

"Is it… safe, though?" Thea asked, "I mean, if Jude found out about this she'd absolutely flip out on you." She made clear.

"Well don't tell her then." Cassie said, "God, I'm not doing it every night. Calm down." She shook her head, "It's just easier. It's like ordering take-out to your house." She shrugged as Thea gasped.

"That's probably the best thing that's ever came out of your mouth." Thea nodded as Cassie rolled her eyes, "Look, you do what you want but please just be careful." She said.

"I am." Cassie shrugged.

"What are we having?" James asked as he ran back into the kitchen with Dominic, hopping up onto the chair beside his sister who looked at him disapprovingly. She liked her space.

"Spaghetti." Thea smiled, "Dig in." She told the kids, and Dominic who appeared to be sitting down quickly for dinner, "Do you wanna… reply to that message first?" She teased her sister.

"Shut up." Cassie rolled her eyes, shoving her sister as they sat down at the table.

* * *

**A/N: Little more softer chapters coming, but the drama isn't far away so stay tuned and thanks for the reviews as always!**


	88. Bath Talk

**Bath Talk**

* * *

"This is nice." AJ let out a relaxed sigh, sitting against her husband in the bath tub, his arms locked around her, feeling him kiss her cheek and neck every so often. After an intimate meal together, they headed back to their room and decided to make use of the gigantic bathtub in their bathroom.

"Too many bubbles." Punk scoffed teasingly as AJ smiled.

"You love it." AJ said, placing her hands on his arms locked around her, "I feel like we really missed out on things like this." She admitted.

"Baths?" Punk questioned.

"No." AJ laughed, "No… spending time just the two of us." She said, "Especially when the girls were younger." She said, "I mean, even now I feel like we don't get to do this enough." She admitted.

"Then we should." He told her as she smiled, "It's not like we got responsibilities with the kids anymore." He said.

"Yeah, I know. You still just feel like you need to be there for them, though. Right?" AJ said.

"Well of course but… they're all good. Got their own lives. Own families." He said as AJ nodded.

"I would have loved to have gone on more vacations with you." She said, "And the girls." She nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Punk nodded, "Where'd you take them? Whilst I was in prison?" He asked.

"Took them to Atlantic City one year. I vowed never to take them back." She said as Punk chuckled, "Cass was three, Jude was nine, Thea was sixteen." She recalled, "All they did was fight with each other or fight with me." She nodded, "Felt like crying on the way home." She rolled her eyes.

"It must have been hard." Punk shook his head, "Doing that stuff on your own. The stuff you don't really think about."

"Yeah, it was." AJ nodded, "Thea used to be proper evil when it came to milking my single parenthood for things. Seriously." She shook her head.

"What are you talking about?" Punk laughed a little.

"_Cassie you're dragging your sweater on the ground." AJ noticed, arriving in the hotel they were staying at for a week on vacation. Travelling with three children wasn't thrilling by any means, but her daughter's deserved to have fun always, to create good memories with one another. She worked hard, sometimes overtime, to be able to take them on trips like this._

"_Oh." Three year old Cassie noticed, bunching her sweater up and holding it in her arms._

"_You should try get a suite." Sixteen year old Thea nodded to her mother, walking with her and helping carry the bags. The fact she'd managed to convince Thea to come on this vacation was a miracle. Her rebellious nature didn't seem one for vacation getaways with her family, but she was glad she was here._

"_I didn't book a suite." AJ told her, looking on at nine year old Jude walking ahead, minding her business with her headphones on, playing a game on her mother's phone._

"_Ask for one. They always reserve it." Thea said._

"_What would you know?" AJ chuckled._

"_They keep it for the rich people." Thea said._

"_Exactly. Not us." AJ nodded, "The room we've booked is just fine." She told her as Thea made a face at her, waiting in the queue at reception. _

_It was incredibly hard doing things like this on her own. She never ever thought the day would come where it was just her and the girls doing things like this, as though her husband didn't even exist. It was hard to get past that, but she did what she had to do. _

"_Just ask if they have a suite." Thea nudged her mother again._

"_Thea, it's peak Summer, this place is gonna be fully booked. The room we have booked is just fine." AJ said as Thea rolled her eyes in typical teenage fashion._

_The receptionist called for them next as AJ walked over to the desk._

"_Hi, I have a reservation for Mendez." AJ nodded to the lady behind the desk who smiled pleasantly and nodded, looking on at the computer system._

"_Do you have a suite available?" Thea asked, leaning her arms on the desk as the lady looked at her._

"_I'm afraid our suites aren't available." The lady shook her head as AJ nudged Thea and looked at her angrily._

"_It's just…" Thea budged AJ out the way a little, "This is the first vacation we've had since our dad passed away." She nodded sadly as AJ looked at her unhappily, "And we always came here with him." She said, breaking her voice deliberately as AJ watched her in shock._

"_I'm sorry." The lady frowned, turning to Cassie and Jude, and then looking at AJ with a sympathetic smile, "Let me see what's available." She shook her head, heart strings being pulled as she looked back at the system._

"_I'm gonna kill you." AJ whispered to Thea who grinned._

"_We have one of our suites available on the twelfth floor. And I can give you it for the same rate." She assured AJ who raised her eyebrows._

"_Oh, that's…" She turned to Thea who was nodded, "That's very kind of you." AJ forced a smile as the lady nodded._

"_Just sign here." She extended over some paper work as AJ signed it quickly, "And here are your keys." She passed over two keys for the room, "I hope you have a wonderful stay." She nodded._

"_Thank you." Thea smiled especially, picking the bags up and heading for the elevator as Cassie and Jude followed behind._

"_Don't you ever say that to anyone ever again." AJ made clear, legitimately mad with her daughter for what she had just said, getting into the elevator._

"_Oh, whatever. These people don't know us." Thea shook her head, unbothered, "I'm using the bath first and I'm ordering room service." She declared as AJ shook her head._

"Well that's nice." Punk scoffed after hearing the story, "I'm glad my absence came in use of something." He shook his head, "She's crazy."

"She is." AJ shook her head, "I think that was the last time I really saw her be herself, be healthy and happy before things started to get tough." She said, "The next vacation we went on was when she was just out of hospital. She was rail thin, barely moved from the couch." She sighed.

"Would have killed me to say her like that." Punk shook his head, "It was bad enough seeing her when I got out, during the couple of relapses she's had." He said, "But… as a kid." He sighed to himself, "They were so lucky to have you." He said. Thinking about his children in particular, he felt relief that they had such an amazing mother in his wife, especially during his absence. It was always something to look back on and be grateful for. She was incredible.

"Did you go out on any day trips in prison?" She asked him, stroking his chest behind her softly as she moved her legs up and down comfortably in the warm bath. She felt more inclined to ask him about prison now that she knew more about what he was really dealing with inside.

"No." Punk scoffed, "Barely got enough yard time." He said as AJ frowned.

"I still can't believe my brother was joining on making your life miserable." AJ shook her head.

"He was just joining in with his clique. Plus, I was just a stranger to him. You're practically a stranger to him." He said as AJ nodded.

"I wonder if he's in Puerto Rico with my mom." She thought to herself.

"Was he close to your parents?" Punk asked her.

"No. No he barely returned home after he turned sixteen. Kind of… like me I guess." She realised as Punk nodded, "But like you said, if he recognised you and knew you were my husband then he… he must have been keeping closer tabs on me than I thought." She shook her head.

"Yeah well like I said, your family have this fucked up thing where they declare they're protecting you, yet… have caused you nothing but pain and grief your entire life." Punk shook his head as AJ nodded.

"That's not my family." AJ shook her head, "We built our own family." She said as Punk nodded, "How you been feeling?" She asked, rubbing his arm softly.

"Right now? Feel pretty good." He nodded as she smiled. The set up for him was pretty ideal, enjoying some quiet intimate time with his wife in a bath.

"You know what I'm meaning." She tutted.

"I'm ok." Punk assured her, "I think… a lot of stress was actually coming from no one knowing about it, if that makes sense." He said.

"Makes a lot of sense." AJ understood.

"I had a good talk with Jude about it and… if anyone knows anything about overcoming stuff it's her. I trust her that it'll get better. I mean I've seen it get better for her. But I also know that it doesn't fully go away. I guess it's my job to work on dealing with it better."

"We can work on it together." AJ promised him, "I'm not saying you have to tell me everything, and you have to talk to me about it specifically every day but… when you feel like it, when you feel comfortable." She nodded.

"That's the thing, I've always know you've been there for me. That wasn't the issue with it all. It was just having to relive it and… I guess when other people know about it, it becomes more real." He said, "And I've tried avoiding it for a very long time."

"I know and you can't avoid something like that." AJ said.

"What did Jude say when you told her? She was… super calm about it all." Punk said.

"Well, you know Jude… she can always see a lot of sense in things." AJ said, "She's just worried about you. I called her because I know that you and her always have good conversations." She said.

"She's just really good at wording things." Punk nodded.

"Did you feel relieved? After… After killing him?" AJ wondered.

"A little." Punk nodded, "But then it was the guilt and the shame that started to eat at me." He said, "And I always figured that I was a disappointment to you and the girls anyway so I promised myself I wouldn't talk about it-"

"I hate that you felt like that, Phil." AJ sighed sadly, "You will always be the same guy to me. No matter what." She made clear, "You were in a bad place, mentally. I know I talk about how difficult it was raising the girls on my own, and it was, but no one was physically beating me or mentally abusing me." She said, "You shouldn't feel shame or guilt for what you did." She shook her head.

"I know I shouldn't but it's still there. It's still an unnatural thing to do, right? No matter the circumstance." He said.

"You can only take so much until you hit breaking point." AJ said.

"I could get my ass kicked all day long, you know that." He said, "I can take a beating and roll with it. It was just… the things he would say. Listening to it every day. I felt like my brain was melting with it." He shook his head as she nodded.

She was glad to hear him talking about things with her. She could see little by little he was at more ease talking to her about things and that was all she could hope for.

"I don't blame you." AJ shook her head, "Do you have any idea who he was? Where he came from or where he ran his business?"

"He was running it out of town. Not local." Punk said, "I think he was transferred to county from a different prison, actually. God knows why." He shook his head.

"And the guards just… let it all happen?" AJ shook her head, finding it hard to believe.

"So damn corrupt." Punk shook his head, "I still don't take any of this life for granted anymore. I know we've been through some shit but… just to have freedom, just to be with you and my kids. See them grow again. It's priceless." He said as AJ smiled and nodded.

"It is." AJ agreed with a smile, "I'm glad we decided to do this."

"Me too." Punk said, kissing her cheek as she turned around, sitting on his thighs and wrapping her arms around his neck as he smiled, leaning in and kissing her softly as she kissed back.


	89. Wedding Planning

**Wedding Planning**

* * *

"Hey, what are you up to in here?" Sean asked, walking into Mirren's nursery where he saw Jude sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, finishing off painting the walls finally whilst Mirren was napping in her crib.

"I figured I'd finally get round to finishing this." Jude nodded, "I'm almost done." She smiled triumphantly.

"You did such a good job." Sean nodded, admiring the walls around the nursery, painted by his talented fiancé like a wildlife safari, "I know you love teaching but you ever thought of doing something like this?" He asked.

"Painting nursery's?" Jude asked, "Not really." She admitted.

"Well not exactly, like… murals and stuff." Sean said, "You're so good at it." He shook his head.

"I enjoy teaching." Jude assured him, "And doing stuff like this in my own time." She shrugged.

"As long as you're happy." Sean smiled as she nodded, "How did therapy go today?" He asked her, walking over to the crib, smiling as he watched Mirren sleeping. So tiny and precious.

"Yeah, it was ok." Jude nodded, "Every session is super different. Sometimes it can be a little daunting not knowing what you're walking into but… once I'm there and I'm talking it gets better." She said, "And I've finally been allowed to come off the anti-depressants." She said, "So maybe I'll stop looking like a zombie." She smiled.

"Hey, you look beautiful at all times, every day." He assured her as she smiled, standing up.

"You're just trained well." She teased, putting her paintbrushes into the pot to wash them later, "How was work?" She asked him.

"Yeah, it was fine." Sean nodded to her.

"Just fine?" She tutted, folding up the sheet she was using to cover the carpet from any spilled paint.

"It was fantastic." Sean exaggerated.

"That's more like it." Jude smiled, "How's Cassie been doing?" She wondered.

"Yeah, she's fine. I rarely see her, honestly." He said.

"I just hope she's doing ok on her own. You know, without Theo." Jude said as Sean nodded.

"I think she's doing fine. She knows what she's doing." Sean nodded, "You heard from your parents?" He asked her.

"No, actually. I don't wanna bother them, though. They needed this break. They deserve it." She said as Sean nodded, watching her fold away the old sheet and sit the pot of paintbrushes over.

"You finished for the night?" He smiled.

"Yeah, all done." Jude smiled, "You had dinner?" She asked.

"No, I'll go start something." He insisted.

"Give me a kiss first." She nodded as he smiled, walking over and wrapping his arms around her waist, kissing her as she kissed back longingly, feeling his hands travel down to her ass as she smiled against the kiss and chuckled her way out of it, leaning her head on his chest as he held onto her ass.

"I get so much comfort from this." He said with a relaxed sigh as Jude laughed.

"You're such an idiot." She chuckled, looking up at him as he smiled, "Get out of here." She shoved him as he chuckled, leaving the nursery and heading downstairs whilst Jude checked on Mirren. She was definitely feeling a better energy around not only herself, but their house. It definitely felt a lot brighter every day.

Sean made his way downstairs, walking into the kitchen to start dinner, taking some things out the fridge and chopping some things up. He was designated cook of the house. Jude, although wouldn't admit it, wasn't the best cook, so he took over most nights gladly.

He tossed some things into a pan, tidying up as he went along, noticing Jude's wedding planner sitting on the kitchen table and smiling to himself. He loved that she was already planning things. They knew they weren't getting married for at least another year, but knowing she was excited to plan things warmed his heart. It was so good to see her smiling more and to hear her laugh in the house again. For a while he was so heartbroken for her and what she was going through.

He didn't want to be nosey, but he couldn't help himself, opening up the wedding planner to see what she'd written in it, smiling to himself at all the little sketches she'd drawn, turning the page and reading other things she'd written down, closing it over a little unhappily as he heard her coming downstairs.

"That smells good already." Jude smiled, "I think Mirren is down for the night." She said, putting some masking tape in the trash.

"I see you're… doing some wedding planning." He said calmly as Jude nodded.

"A little." She shrugged with a smile.

"I didn't know we were having a small wedding." He said truthfully as she looked over at him.

"What do you mean?" She shook her head.

"There's like… twenty people you've written down as guests." Sean said, "Majority being your family." He said, turning around as she looked over at him.

"I didn't think you'd want a big wedding." Jude shrugged.

"I don't, but I'd at least like the option to invite my aunts and uncles." He said.

"I've never even met them." Jude shook her head.

"That's still my family." Sean said, "And what about the station? People I work with every day? Am I allowed to invite them?" He questioned in an angry tone.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" Jude shook her head, "I just thought you'd want your mom and dad and… your brother there." She shrugged, "Considering that's the only family I know you speak to."

"Yeah but it's a wedding, you gotta invite everyone." Sean said.

"No you don't." Jude said, "Not unless you really want them there." She said, "My mom has a brother but I'm not inviting him, am I?"

"Your mom's family are lunatics, that's why." Sean scoffed.

"Hey, ok. Easy." Jude said, "I'm not… saying who you can't and can invite, Sean. It was just a rough idea of who I thought would definitely be there. And I figured we weren't gonna have a big wedding. What's the point? I'd marry you if it was just the two of us." She shrugged, "Doesn't matter to me." She said as Sean looked across at her.

"Sorry." Sean shook his head for a second, "Sorry, I just… I know my mom will bug me if we don't invite more of my family." He said.

"It's not your mom's decision." Jude shrugged, "You invite who you want to be there to celebrate."

"You inviting Sam?" Sean wondered.

"What do you think?" Jude shook her head.

"Sorry, I… I just know my mom's gonna stick her nose in things. You know how she is." Sean shook his head.

"Yeah, but it's not up to her and I have no problem telling her that." Jude smiled confidently.

"Yeah, but when you say shit she doesn't like it's me she goes off on." Sean shook his head.

"You're a grown ass man." Jude smiled a little, "I don't care if she's unhappy. It's our wedding, not anyone elses." She made clear.

"She's already… kinda mad about us not visiting more with Mirren." Sean admitted.

"We were there last week." Jude screwed her face up. Her future mother in law was harmless, but she just had a lot of opinions.

"I know." Sean assured her.

"Like, sorry Gail, give me some time to wipe my own ass first and I'll be straight down." Jude shook her head as Sean laughed a little.

He knew his mother could be picky and fussy. She didn't have any issues with Jude, not real ones, but she did like to complain and take digs here and there. He knew this wedding was going to be filled with her opinions and that was making him slightly nervous. He knew what Jude was like. She didn't hold back in saying what she thought, and that clash with his mother sometimes wasn't all that great.

"I'm just worried she tries to… insert herself and make you uncomfortable. She already mentioned going with you when you're picking your dress and I tried to politely say that you were going with your mom and sisters but she still didn't take the hint." Sean shook his head.

"Ok, look at me." Jude nodded, walking over to him and cupping his cheeks, "There is no need for you to be stressing over things right now. I'm not going dress shopping for a while, at least until I can fit back into my jeans I had before I got pregnant." She made clear as he smiled, "Maybe your mom is just excited and wants to be part of it all. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Jude… the thought of your mom and my mom being in the same room is giving me nightmares." He said seriously as Jude smiled, "They are… two completely different people."

"Who are both happy for us." Jude reminded him, "Don't worry about your mom or my mom. That'll sort itself out. I was more interested in designing our cake actually." She said, picking the planner back up and showing him one she sketched out as he smiled.

"Bet you didn't think I'd be the one to freak out more over the wedding." He laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as Jude put the planner back down.

"I get it. I know how much your mom cares about you and… I get her wanting to see Mirren more. It's better that than her not caring, right?" Jude said as Sean nodded.

"Yeah, your right." Sean said, "I just don't want her stressing you out. That's all. Especially right now. It's hard trying to explain to her that you're in therapy. She doesn't really understand stuff like that." He shook his head.

"I don't want her to understand it. I don't need her to." Jude shrugged, "I'll talk to her next time I see her." She said, "I know she can be a handful but she doesn't mean anything by it."

She knew Sean had always had, not necessarily a tough relationship with his mom, but there was definitely disagreements and clashes at times. She'd seen it live and in colour, most often than not she had to be peacemaker. She understood where his stress came from in thinking she was going to be overbearing with the wedding planning.

"I know she doesn't but let's be honest, she can be a pain." Sean said as Jude smiled.

"She loves you." Jude reminded him, "But this is our wedding and it's gonna go how we want it." She made clear, "It's gonna have the people there that we choose, it's gonna be where we choose, I'm gonna wear a dress I want to wear… because it's all about us." She smiled, "We can be selfish with this, ok?" She reminded him as he nodded.

"I love you." Sean nodded as she smiled.

"I love you too." Jude smiled, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged her tightly. In a strange way, it was almost nice to only worry about everyday mundane things again.


	90. Reunion

**Reunion**

* * *

"Don't go to work." Dominic moaned childishly, watching his wife wandering around their bedroom early the next morning, clipping her bra on at the back as she looked for her scrubs.

"Sorry, babe. I kinda have to." She said, "Where the hell did I put my uniform?" She questioned, looking in her dresser, "Did you hide it?" She looked over her shoulder at him as he chuckled.

"No." He laughed, sitting up on the edge of the bed and rubbing his eyes tiredly as she looked over.

"What you got planned with the kids today?" Thea asked him, eventually finding her scrubs and putting the pants on.

"Sofia has gymnastics in the afternoon. Gonna take James to see the new Lego movie whilst she's there. Then I'll take them for dinner." He nodded as Thea smiled.

"Such a good daddy." She smiled proudly, putting her top-half on and looking over at him eagerly as she walked over, crouching down in front of him as he watched her with a small smile.

"What are you doing?" He asked, small smile turning into a smirk as he watched her pull his boxer shorts down a little.

She wrapped her hand around him, stroking him up and down before using her mouth on him as Dominic moaned, placing his hand on her head as it moved up and down, "Fuck." He moaned, watching as she pushed her uniform down along with her bra.

"I hate you for this." She told him fondly between using her mouth and hand on him as he laughed a little.

"Doesn't look like you hate me." Dominic smirked cockily, placing his hand back on her head as it moved up and down.

"I just showered." She said, standing up and pushing her pants down.

"You can shower again." Dominic reminded her as she pushed him back onto the mattress, climbing over him as he smiled, feeling her lips against his as she pushed her panties to the side and guided his length up inside of her.

"Fuck." Thea moaned, moving her hips on him wildly, grabbing his chin and kissing him passionately as he grabbed at her ass.

They were quiet enough to suddenly hear a small voice on the other side of their locked room door.

"Mommy." James knocked at the door as Thea paused, placing her hand over Dominic's face and turning her head around, pausing all movement, "Mommy." James said again as Thea turned back to Dominic.

"What's wrong?" Thea called calmly.

"I'm awake." James let her know as Thea closed her eyes and nodded. Children.

"Ok, why don't you go pick out your cereal?" Thea called back.

"Ok." James said over the other side of the door, heading away downstairs.

Thea sighed to herself, suddenly feeling Dominic thrust up inside her slowly, "What are you doing?" She shook her head, immediately getting off from him.

"Come on, he's away downstairs." Dominic nodded.

"No way." Thea scoffed, "This one is all you, buddy." She told him, wandering back into their bathroom to quickly get ready for work, for real this time as Dominic soon followed, turning the shower on as she smirked cheekily, "You gonna jerk off in there?" She nodded.

"Yeah, don't you feel bad for me?" He frowned as she shook her head with a smile.

"Can I watch?" She asked.

"You're filth." Dominic nodded as she smiled, "We could have finished in there."

"Dominic." Thea said, "James is awake and downstairs. No way." She said.

"Yeah, he's downstairs. We're up here." He said.

"No, it feels wrong." Thea shook her head, "I'll press my tits against the glass of the shower but that is all you're getting." She said.

"You're ridiculous." He laughed, "But yeah, do that." He nodded seriously as she chuckled.

* * *

"Hello, sister." Cassie nodded, approaching the hospital where her sister worked, spotting her outside having a cigarette, "I like the message your sending." She nodded.

"You'd do it too if you worked twelve hours." Thea nodded.

"I do work twelve hours." Cassie assured her.

"What are you doing here?" Thea asked.

"I'm here to speak to a patient." Cassie said, "Stabbed at a barfight last weekend." She nodded.

"Ouch." Thea nodded, "You heard from mom and dad?" She asked.

"No, but I've not been messaging them or anything. They needed this break." She said as Thea nodded in agreement.

"They need more than a weekend break." Thea scoffed as Cassie nodded. They were all in agreement of that.

"They're back tonight, unless they've decided to run away and leave us forever." She teased as Thea smiled, "When you finish tonight?"

"Eight." Thea said, "Perfect timing to come home and hear the sweet sound of silence." She smiled as Cassie chuckled.

"It's hard to remember you love your kids sometimes." Cassie chuckled.

"Hey, I love my babies but…" She put her cigarette out, "Sometimes I just feel like I can't be me. Me and Dominic haven't had proper sex in like… a month." She said.

"Some couples with kids don't have sex at all. You're doing ok." Cassie rolled her eyes, "Plus, what the hell is proper sex?"

"Oh, when you get further than five minutes with no interruptions." Thea said as Cassie chuckled.

"Maybe you need the weekend getaway." Cassie nodded.

"I'm scared our sex life goes down the drain." Thea said, "There's just never time. Between his shifts and my shifts, the kids always interrupting telling me that they've wrote their letter to Santa when we're in frickin March, I mean come on!" Thea yelled as Cassie nodded slowly.

"You'll be fine." Cassie rolled her eyes, "First world problems, babe." She reminded her sister as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Thea nodded as Cassie looked at her.

"Hey, why don't… tomorrow night I take the kids out and they can stay the night? I'll take them for pizza." Cassie shrugged as Thea looked at her.

"You don't have to do that." Thea scoffed.

"I know but… I love my niece and nephew. And I don't wanna be the aunt who is always too busy to hang out with them." She shrugged as Thea smiled.

"They don't think that of you." Thea assured her, "But I bet they'd be stoked to hang out with you." She smiled.

"Yeah yeah, you just want laid." Cassie shook her head.

"Easy for you to say ms swipe left, swipe right." Thea teased her.

"Shut up." Cassie rolled her eyes, "I have work to do." She announced.

"I do too." Thea nodded, walking back into the hospital with her.

* * *

"You don't have to go, you know." AJ said, pulling up outside their house after getting back from their hotel getaway. It had been relaxing and peaceful to spend the weekend just purely with each other. To relax with each other with no distractions.

"I know, but… I think I want to." Punk turned to her, "I think I avoided it because it reminded me so much of… that time, and that's not fair to him. He was a good friend to me." He shook his head as AJ smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, he was nice to me." AJ assured him, "But… don't put yourself under any pressure."

"I'm not." Punk nodded, "I want to do this." He said as she smiled and nodded, leaning over and kissing him sweetly, stroking the back of his hair at the back of his head before pulling back.

"Next time, we go for a week." She smiled as he laughed softly and nodded.

"Two." He challenged as she smiled, pecking his lips again before opening up the door at her side, "Don't bother about the bags, I'll get them when I come back." He told her as she nodded.

"Ok." She smiled, getting out of the car and watching as he drove off.

She never needed a weekend getaway to connect with her husband, there was never a level she needed to reach with him. They'd been at that level since they were sixteen together. But in such a relaxing space, on their own with no distractions, she could see her husband opening up more and that was all she wanted for him.

Punk drove off after leaving AJ to get home, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove to his destination, the one AJ had told him.

He'd avoided this for so long, wrongly so, due to his own insecurities and fears of memories and things he'd rather forget flooding back to him. But, after the past week, those memories had come flooding back to him, and he was learning to cope with them. To understand them and take it easy on himself. Not without the love and support from his amazing wife and children.

He parked up at the address AJ had given him, stepping out of the car and looking at the house in front of him, folding his arms as he leaned against the car. He hadn't seen this man since he was released from prison.

He walked up the few steps, standing in front of the door and ringing the door bell, taking a deep breath as he watched a young woman, perhaps the age of Thea or older answer the door.

"Hi, can I help you?" She asked politely as Punk looked across at her.

"Shauna?" Punk took a guess as the woman looked at him, wondering how this man knew her.

"Who's asking?" She raised a brow.

"I'm Phil Brooks." Punk nodded, "I was cell mates with your dad, some many years ago." He laughed nervously as Shauna looked at him.

"Daddy!" Shauna called, "You got a friend here to see you." She smiled, wandering away out of sight as Punk stood nervously, suddenly watching as Tom appeared into the doorway. It was madness to see him again, outside of the prison world, outside of that stressful and awful time in his life.

"B Boy Brooks." Tom smiled in awe, folding his arms as Punk looked across at him.

"Hey, man." Punk nodded, taking a deep breath as Tom smiled.

"How you doing, kid?" Tom nodded.

"I'm doing ok." Punk said, "So much for you thinking your kids would never talk to you again." He smiled.

"I did some pleading." Tom smiled, looking across at him as Punk looked back, swaying back and forth on his heels, "Come here, man!" Tom chuckled happily, grabbing Punk's hand and pulling him forward as Punk smiled happily, wrapping his arms around him as Tom squeezed him tightly.


	91. Different People

**Different People**

* * *

"Hey, mom." Jude smiled, bumping the stroller into her parent's house where she saw her mother coming downstairs.

"Hey." AJ smiled happily, glad to see her daughter after getting back from their weekend away, "How are you?" She smiled, walking over and hugging Jude.

"I'm good." Jude nodded, "How was your weekend?" She smiled.

"It was great." AJ smiled, "We had a good time." She nodded.

"Was dad ok?" Jude asked as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, he was ok." AJ assured her, rubbing her arm softly, "How is this little beauty?" She asked, leaning into the stroller and smiling at Mirren fast asleep.

"She's sleeping." Jude smiled, "I walked here. She always falls asleep right away when we're on a walk or she's in the car. She loves it." Jude nodded as AJ smiled.

"You look good, baby." AJ smiled, cupping her daughter's cheek, noticing how fresh and healthy she was looking.

"I am getting more sleep." Jude nodded, walking through to the kitchen with the stroller, "She's got a routine, I guess now." She said.

"That's good." AJ nodded, "You look better for it."

"Thanks." Jude said, "I feel better." She acknowledged. Every day was another step, but every day felt brighter, and another step in the right direction. The therapy she was seeking was definitely helping her, and finding a routine with Mirren was making it easier for her.

"You want some lunch?" AJ asked her.

"Oh, yeah. That would be good." Jude nodded, sitting down at the table, "How are you feeling? How's your head?" She asked.

"It's ok. Aches here and there but that's not abnormal. I have another check-up on Friday so I'm kinda hoping that I get the go ahead to go back to work again, to start driving again." She said, making them both some lunch.

"Mom, that's still really soon." Jude said with concern, "Thea told you it could be months."

"What does she know?" AJ waved her hand as Jude laughed a little.

"Normally I'd agree but… she is a nurse." Jude laughed a little, "You can't do too much when you're not ready. You'll only make it worse." She said.

"Yeah yeah, I hear it all from your father." AJ nodded along.

"Then listen." Jude suggested as AJ just made a face, "Where is he anyway?"

"He's at work." AJ said, "He actually stopped by yesterday when we got back to see his old cell mate, Tom." She turned to Jude who nodded.

"Oh, really?" Jude said as AJ nodded.

"Yeah, he really wanted to. And I think it was a big step for him, to kinda confront that part of his life again. He said they had a good chat and that they were gonna try see each other more." AJ said.

"Well that's good." Jude nodded, "Did he… talk more about prison whilst you were away?"

"He did." AJ nodded, "He's definitely opening up a lot more and… I think he's just talking about it when it comes to him and I'm there to listen." She said as Jude nodded.

"Well I'm glad." Jude nodded with relief, "It looked like he had really reached breaking point."

"Yeah, well given all the stuff he was holding in to himself all this time, I don't blame him." AJ shook her head.

"At least he's talking about it now." Jude nodded.

"Yeah, that's the important thing." AJ nodded, sitting down at the table to have lunch with her, "Were your sisters behaving whilst we were gone?" She asked curiously.

"I haven't really spoken to them actually. I know they've both been busy at work." Jude nodded, "I finally finished off painting Mirren's nursery." She said.

"Oh, yeah? So now it's all finished?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, I just had a last bit to paint. It's finally finished." Jude smiled, "And she knows nothing about all my hard work." She scoffed as AJ smiled.

"Oh, she will in a few years." AJ smiled.

"Oh, before I forget… I need to ask you for a slight favour." Jude said.

"Slight?" AJ raised a brow.

"Well, I'm having lunch with Sean's mom next weekend and I sort of… invited you to come with me." Jude smiled sweetly as AJ looked at her, "I know you've only met her once and… we established that his parents are very different than you and dad but… I figured with the wedding planning that's gonna be happening in the coming months, maybe you'd get acquainted a little better." Jude shrugged.

"I don't even remember what she looks like." AJ admitted truthfully, "Wait, I thought you said you weren't gonna get married until like a year?"

"Yeah, that's still the plan." Jude nodded, "But I was talking to Sean about it last night and he's getting stressed because he thinks his mom is gonna… to put it out he said, stick her in nose into things." She said, "She already thinks she's going dress shopping with us."

"What? Why would she think that? I thought it was me you and your sisters?" AJ shook her head.

"Well yeah, it is but… I don't think it's so bad that she wants to come. She has two sons and she doesn't get to help a daughter get ready for a wedding… maybe she just wants to be part of it." Jude shrugged.

"I get all that but… I don't wanna be uncomfortable and… behaved well." AJ rolled her eyes as Jude smiled a little, "Thea's already started dropping ideas for your bachelorette and the less judgemental people there, the better."

"God, I don't even wanna know." Jude placed her hand on her forehead.

"So why have I to come with you to lunch again?" AJ questioned, slightly puzzled.

"Because I think it'd help in the long haul. You barely know her and I don't want things to be awkward if she does come with us to find my wedding dress-"

"Uh… why would she be coming?" AJ questioned as Jude looked at her, "You're my daughter, therefore it should be me, your sisters and Kirsty."

"What am I supposed to say to her? You can't come?" Jude laughed a little.

"Yes, and I'll say it for you if you can't." AJ nodded.

"That attitude doesn't help." Jude said as AJ made a face, "Sean's really stressed about me not wanting his mom around for the planning and I think that's really unfair. She should be part of it."

"Should she?" AJ questioned.

"Mom." Jude said, "Yes, she should. It's her son getting married. You've got three daughter's you get to do this with. She doesn't have any." She reminded her as AJ folded her arms unhappily.

"She's not exactly our type of people, is she?" AJ said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jude asked.

"It means they're rich and snooty, meanwhile I…" She grabbed the salad dressing and popped the lid off, "Have a criminal record." She finished as Jude rolled her eyes.

"They're not snooty." Jude scoffed, "They're nice people they're just… a little overbearing. Is that what you think of Sean?" She wondered.

"No, of course not." AJ said immediately, "Sean's like us. There's not a judgemental bone in his body. I love him like a son." She emphasised. She was lucky to have great relationships with both her daughter's partners, "I just remember his mom being a little… overpriced."

"You're not a poor person on the streets, mom. You practically direct a company." Jude reminded her.

"Yeah but baby, I don't forget my roots." AJ reminded her.

"I'm just saying, people see you a lot more than that criminal record." She nodded.

"I know that but… everyone is just different. It's not a bad thing." AJ said as Jude looked at her pleadingly, "Ok, I'll come with you, of course." AJ assured her daughter as Jude smiled, "But only because I love you." She smiled sweetly, tilting Jude's chin up as Jude smiled.

"I just think it'll make the whole thing easier." Jude shrugged.

"How come you're already thinking about wedding planning?" AJ asked, "Is someone getting excited?" She smiled.

"Well Thea got me this wedding planner and I just… I've been writing things down, I guess. It is sort of exciting."

"Sort of? It is exciting." AJ smiled, "It's gonna be a great day." She nodded.

"How big was your wedding?" Jude wondered.

"Not too big, I guess. Eighty people or something." She shrugged, "I was actually pregnant with you at our wedding, I just didn't know." She nodded.

"You just love a good unplanned pregnancy, don't you?" Jude nodded.

"Hell yeah." AJ nodded, "You're one to talk." She looked over at the stroller.

"Shh." Jude said as AJ chuckled, "I feel really close to her now." She nodded as AJ looked across at her, "The beginning was really hard. I didn't feel like I was bonding with her at all. Then that made me feel like I was incapable of doing this… mom thing." She said.

"No, you just… you had your own stuff to deal with. It happens to a lot of mom's. It can be a… stressful thing. Really stressful." AJ assured her.

"Yeah I just wish I didn't lose those first couple of weeks with her." Jude admitted.

"You have a lifetime with her." AJ smiled, "That's all that matters." She nodded as Jude smiled.

* * *

_Eight months later…_

"_Jude." Sean burst into the ladies restroom in the venue their wedding was taking place in. They were only married a few hours ago._

"_I… I can't get it off." Jude said, hands shaking as she tried rubbing the front of her wedding dress, lashing the water from the faucet towards her, cold tears running down her cheeks, not that she could feel them._

"_Are you hurt?" Sean asked, grabbing her wet hands as she looked up at him, "Are you?" He asked, drying her tears as her make-up smudged in the process._

"_Where's Mirren?" Jude begged to know._

"_She's with Kirsty." Sean nodded, looking at the blood all the way down the front of Jude's dress, "Are you hurt?" He cupped her cheeks seriously as she shook her head._

"_No… no, I'm not hurt." Jude's voice broke, placing a hand on the sink, "Where's Mirren? I want to… I want to see her." She said desperately._

"_She's with Kirsty." Sean repeated, "Kirsty took her back to the room." He nodded. They were married in a hotel venue, "She's safe with Kirsty." He assured her as Jude looked at him, nodding slowly, "You need to get out of that dress." He said._

_Jude looked down at her dress, staring at the blood all the way down the front of it. The dress she'd picked out and adored. The dress she'd put on this morning and felt like a princess in on her special day. Now soaked in blood. Not her own._

"_Where are my mom and dad?" Jude questioned seriously as Sean looked over at her._

"_I don't know. I can't find them." Sean said as Jude ran her hands through her hair, "You're covered in blood. You need to get changed."_

* * *

**A/N: So, every chapter now is gonna have a flashforward to the wedding, all the way up until we finally reach it in terms of present day. Just because I'm evil and want to keep you all on your toes! Enjoy making what you will of it until finally we reach it! Thanks for the reviews and I hope you're all staying safe.**


	92. Marriage Problems

**Marriage Problems**

* * *

"I mean don't you have to come with me?" AJ questioned, lying in bed with Punk later that night, "Why is it always me?"

"Because you have a somewhat filter." Punk nodded to her, "Plus, sounds to me like it's a mom thing. What's the problem?" He turned to her.

"Well she's rich. She was born rich." AJ said.

"Now now… we don't like when people judge us so… we shouldn't judge them." Punk reminded her as AJ made a face at him whilst he wasn't looking.

"But I know I'm gonna have to put an act on the entire time." AJ shook her head.

"Then do it." Punk shrugged, "I mean, it's for Jude, right?" He said.

"Yeah." AJ sighed, "But she wants to be part of a lot of things and… well I like it when it's just me and the girls." She frowned as Punk turned to her.

"Maybe that's a little selfish." Punk nodded to her honestly.

"Maybe, I didn't ask for your opinion." AJ eyed him with folded his arms, sitting against the headboard beside him.

"Well you're getting it." Punk said, "This is your second time doing this whole…. Wedding planning. And it's not even gonna be your last." He said.

"Well… Cassie is up for debate." AJ nodded.

"My point is… this woman has two sons. She won't ever get to help her daughter pick a wedding dress and plan a wedding." Punk said, "I mean, what if we had three sons. Wouldn't that bum you out? If you didn't have a little girl to help get ready for her wedding?"

"I'd be less stressed if I had three sons." AJ rolled her eyes, turning to him and sighing, "Yeah, I know." She nodded.

"You've only met her once. Maybe… Maybe you'll get along with her." Punk shrugged.

"They're just sort of the first in-laws we've ever had, you know?" AJ said, "Dominic's parents are dead and… his aunt and brother live way out of town. This feels like the first time we're… meeting the other parents." She nodded.

"So does that makes the Fockers or the Burns?" Punk wondered as AJ turned to him, "You know, like in Meet The Fockers?" He asked her.

"I'll let you decide on that one." AJ smiled, laughing lightly, "I just can't believe they're getting married." She shook her head, "And you know, I never really thought Jude would be really fussed about it all but she is, she's really excited." AJ told him.

"Well of course she is, it's gonna be a good day." Punk nodded to himself, "And she deserves it."

"So when are you seeing Tom again?" AJ asked him.

"Next week." Punk said, "Going out to some bar with him for a couple hours. He said he still refuses to believe I don't drink." He chuckled as AJ smiled, "And he's in contact with all his kids too, you know. When he was in prison he thought they weren't gonna talk to him ever again." He told AJ who nodded.

"He must have been a big part of your life during that time." AJ nodded, "I'm glad you're seeing him again." She smiled as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, me too." Punk said, "I thought it was gonna be hard but… it wasn't as bad as I thought." He said, "It was good to see him after all this time." He said as AJ smiled, "So when are you going out for lunch with Sean's mom?"

"Next weekend." AJ huffed, "I was actually hoping to be back at work for next weekend." She shook her head as Punk shook his head unhappily.

"You're not working or driving for the foreseeable future. Come to terms with that, please. Because I don't wanna keep having the same conversation with you about it." He said.

"Oh, listen to mister responsible." AJ scoffed.

"Well you need to take this seriously, April." He said.

"Oh, but when I'm hanging off the edge of the bed in our hotel room for your own personal pleasure, it's ok?" She turned to him with a smirk as he looked at her.

"There are… some exceptions, yes." He nodded sophisticatedly as she scoffed.

"Yeah, I don't think that was on my do's and don'ts from the hospital." AJ shook her head.

"Well they're on mine." Punk nodded as she smiled, crawling over on top of him, straddling his hips as he looked up at her, "Can I help you?" He asked teasingly as she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, you can." She nodded, taking his hand and putting it in her shorts and panties as he smirked, feeling her grind against his hand as she cupped his face and began kissing him, feeling him flip them over where she was on her back in the centre of the bed, pulling him closer as he began to pull her clothes off.

* * *

"T!" Dominic called, walking into their house late on, making his way through the hallway and into the kitchen, his pace slowing when he saw Thea sitting at the kitchen table, eating a slice of chocolate cake.

He noticed the candles on the table, burnt out and the dinner she'd made sitting in the pots dried up.

"I'm sorry, T, I got… I got caught up at a job." Dominic nodded as she looked up at him.

"You were supposed to be home at 4 today." Thea looked at him, pointing her fork at him, "It's 9 now." She shook her head, unhappy with how late he was, especially on a night where they'd managed to have a break from the kids.

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't… I didn't know you were doing all this." He admitted, feeling even worse than he was.

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise." Thea nodded, "We may as well have just kept the kids tonight. Doesn't make a difference now." She shrugged unhappily. She thought they could have had dinner together, without the usual chaos of the kids. She figured they deserved some us time, but it didn't matter now.

"Thea, I got caught up at work. What do you want me to do?" Dominic put his hands up.

"There's getting caught up and then there's making me feel like I'm at the bottom of your priorities right now." She said as Dominic rolled his eyes.

"Well, you're not." Dominic shook his head, "It's not my fault that you pick and choose when you wanna have alone time."

"Excuse me?" Thea looked at him, "What the hell does that mean?" She questioned.

"It means I'm always on your time. We do things when you want to. You're selfish." Dominic shrugged as Thea looked up at him.

"I spent my night making us dinner, wanting to spend time with you without all the noise for one night." Thea said, "I don't think that's selfish." She shook her head, "But if that's what you think then fine… I won't bother anymore." She shrugged, standing up from the table and taking her plate over to the sink.

"I don't… I don't mean you're selfish." Dominic sighed.

"That's what you said." Thea hummed.

"I just mean… you're still really hard to read." He said as she turned around, "Even after being together for twelve years, two kids, marriage… I still can't read you or understand where your head is at most times." He said.

"Well, you should be glad of that right now. I'm not thinking very nice things." She glared at him as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I know we haven't been getting a lot of time together, just the two of us, what with our shifts and the kids and… life, I guess." He said, "But I don't want you to think you gotta make us dinner and we gotta sit by the candles." He shook his head.

"I don't think I have to do it. I want to do it." Thea shook her head with confusion, "I want to have a night where I can sit with my husband and enjoy dinner without having to wipe snot from Sofia's nose or… ask James to finish his veg or… separate them from fighting… I just wanna have a night where we can be us again." She said as Dominic looked at her.

He watched as she turned around, dumping the dishes into the sink and sighing to herself. He noticed she was wearing an adorable, simple sundress. Her dark hair had been washed, dried and straightened down her entire back. She'd made effort and he felt horrible for ruining it.

"I wish you told me that you wanted to do this." Dominic admitted.

"What's the point?" Thea shook her head unhappily.

"Look, you can't make me the bad guy. I haven't done anything wrong here. I got caught up, I didn't know we were doing this-"

"Dominic, I told you the kids were staying at my parents with Cassie tonight. If you immediately don't want to come home and take advantage of that then that's probably why I'm mad." She said.

"The kids stayed with your parents a month ago and you wanted to sit on the couch in your pyjamas and watch TV." Dominic said, "I'm not a frickin mind reader here."

"Oh, you know what? Just forget it." She shook her head, hitting the dishes off one another angrily in the sink as she tried to tidy up, "Forget I bothered."

"You're a real piece of work sometimes, you know that?" Dominic nodded as she turned around.

"Excuse me?" Thea looked at him, "I wanted to do something nice for you tonight. I wanted us to do something nice for once. I mean… when do I ever come home to you doing something like this?"

"Thea, don't even start." Dominic placed his hand over his forehead.

"No, fuck you. Don't tell me I'm a piece of work when I'm trying to do something nice." Thea said angrily, "You didn't even have the decency to call me and tell me you were gonna be late."

"I was working." Dominic put his hands up with frustration, "I was on a job. I wasn't just sitting around doing nothing." He said, "This isn't even you. You don't make romantic dinners and bake cakes. You order pizza and take your clothes off." He shook his head as Thea looked at him, her breath coming away from her a little as she looked at him, "Wait I didn't mean it like-"

"I can't believe you just said that." Thea looked at him, feeling hurt by his chosen words for her.

"Thea, I didn't mean it like that." Dominic said sincerely. He didn't mean for it to come out the way it did, to degrade or hurt her in any way. He instantly felt dreadful for how it sounded.

"Oh, well…" Thea looked down at the ground, drying the tear from her eyes, "I'll know for next time then." She looked up at him, extremely hurt.

"Thea, I didn't mean it like that. I swear." Dominic sighed, watching her walk past him and out of the kitchen, "Thea." He sighed, listening to her running away upstairs.

He didn't mean for it to sound salacious. He meant it in a positive way. His wife's character was fun and vibrant, easy-going, everything he fell in love with her for. He never wanted her to do things she didn't want to, just to impress him or get his attention. But he heard how it sounded, and he knew she had every right to take it the wrong way. He sincerely didn't mean for it to be taken in the context she'd taken it in, and he felt awful.

* * *

_Eight Months Later…_

"_Thea!" Dominic yelled, running outside the wedding venue, "Thea!" He called, running towards his wife who was standing in her bridesmaids dress, her mascara now running with her tears down her cheeks as she stood shivering and shaking in the cold._

"_Thea." Dominic placed his hand on her arm as she turned around and jumped slightly, "Where are the kids?" He asked her seriously, "I haven't seen them."_

"_K-Kirsty has them." Thea nodded, looking at him, "Where did she go?" She asked as Dominic shook his head._

"_I don't know." Dominic took a deep breath, placing his hand on his forehead, "I don't know." He gulped as she looked at him, blood down his white shirt, not of his own. _

"_Where are my parents?" She asked Dominic, "And… And Jude?"_

"_No one has seen your parents." Dominic said, "I don't… I don't know where Jude has gone." He admitted truthfully as she looked up at him, "I don't fucking know where anyone is." He said stressfully._

"_This is my fault." Thea whispered as Dominic looked at her, "This is my fault." She mumbled._

"_Look at me." Dominic said, taking a hold of her by the arms, "This is not your fault." Dominic made clear, "It's not." He emphasised, "This… I don't why or what the fuck just happened, but it was not your fault, no matter what you saw." He said as she looked up at him fearfully._

_He wrapped his arms around her tightly as she hugged into him desperately, "We should go see the kids." She suggested._


	93. Kids

**Kids**

* * *

Punk woke up through the night after hearing noise downstairs. He got out of bed, looking over at AJ fast asleep and smiling. It was getting easier to sleep without nightmares the more he had confined in her about prison. He only wished he'd gotten it off his chest sooner, and that he didn't worry so much about what people would think. He was learning to accept it and in that, was learning to move forward, not look back.

He left the bedroom, opening up the spare bedroom door where his grandchildren were sleeping in the double bed. Angels. Light in his life. His pride and joy.

He walked further down the hall, opening up Cassie's door where he chuckled upon seeing her almost hanging off the edge of the bed, snoring loudly. He knew how hard she was working, breaking into the field on her own and trying to keep up with the fast paced environment. She was determined, that was for sure.

Once realising it was no one in the household that was downstairs, he got a little nervous, making his way down the stairs, walking down the hallway and noticing it was Thea, standing in the kitchen and eating it from a bag of chips.

"Those are mine." Punk said as Thea jumped a little, turning around and looking over at him.

"You gave me a fright." Thea scoffed.

"Oh, really? You who has just broke into my house to ransack my chips?" Punk questioned as she rolled her eyes, "It's 1am. What are you doing here?" He asked. Thea and Jude still had a key to the house, which meant they could come and go whenever they pleased. Usually, whenever they had trouble with their men.

"Had a fight with Dominic." Thea said, pulling a chair out and sitting down on it, "Prick." She said as Punk nodded slowly.

"A fight about what?" He asked her.

"I don't even know." Thea shook her head, "Well Cassie was taking the kids out tonight and they were staying here so we were gonna have dinner. I cooked. I baked a cake." She shook her head as Punk screwed his face up.

"You baked?" Punk shook his head.

"Yes. Because I wanted to do something nice." Thea said, "And he came home at like… 9pm. Didn't even have the courtesy to call me. Basically told me that I shouldn't have bothered and that I should stick to just ordering pizza and… other things." She mumbled as Punk looked across at her, "He was fucking mean." She sighed to herself. Her feelings rarely got hurt, especially by her husband, but right now her feelings were hurt at what he had said.

"Maybe you just caught him on a bad day." Punk shrugged.

"I don't give a shit if he's having a bad day. He doesn't get to talk to me like that. Like I'm a piece of shit." Thea shook her head.

"I really don't imagine he meant for you to feel like that." Punk said. It was always difficult to be neutral in situations like this. He was always on his daughter's sides, but he had to be fair and to help them see the bigger picture.

"Well he did." Thea said, "I know we've been pretty distant these past few weeks. I've been working a lot of shifts, so has he. And the kids needs come first." She nodded, "But things just feel really off and I hate it." She shook her head sadly as Punk looked across at her and sighed.

"Look, Thea… I'm not the best with advice on this type of thing." He said, sitting down across from her at the table, "But couples fight. All the time. It sounds like you guys are just busy with life and it's… it's taken its toll a little but it'll bounce back." He nodded.

"I just hate how he spoke to me." Thea shook her head as Punk looked at her.

"Do you want me to speak to him?" He asked fatherly.

"No." Thea scoffed, "I'm not twelve." She rolled her eyes, "I mean he said he was sorry and that he didn't mean it but…" She shrugged, "I just wanted to do something nice and I feel like it got thrown back in my face."

"He's your husband. You don't have to try to impress him." Punk laughed a little.

"It's not about that, though." Thea said, "It's about wanting to do it. I saw how you and mom were when I was a kid. You were sweet to one another without having to think about it." She said.

"Yeah but we also fought like cat and dog sometimes." Punk reminded her, "It happens. You go through little rough spells. You and Dominic are great, and he's always been there for you." He said as Thea nodded.

He could tell it sounded like their marriage was a little rocky, but nothing worth worrying about. It was normal and he didn't want her to feel like the world was falling apart.

"I just hate it when we fight. Makes life harder." She sighed.

"Then go home and talk to him. There's no use you being here." He said as she sighed to herself.

"How are the kids?" Thea asked.

"They're fine. They went out for pizza with Cassie. I think she had a lot of fun with them." He said as Thea smiled.

"Good, I'm glad." Thea nodded, "I'm sorry for waking you up." She sighed.

"It's ok. I don't mind." He assured her, "Just talk it out with him. Tell him how you feel." He advised. He'd had many moments of sitting through the middle of the night with both Thea or Jude, talking to them about issues they had regarding their lives, of course as adults. He only gave advice and comfort he wished he'd gotten as a younger adult when he was growing up and going through hard times. He was always there for his children, in whichever way they needed him.

"I can't believe you still keep pictures like this up on here." Thea shook her head, standing up and walking over to the fridge where a collection of family pictures were stuck to, "I remember doing her hair and make-up for this." She smiled, taking a picture of Cassie on her prom day from the fridge.

"We had Jude's prom picture up there but she ripped it down and said she hated it so." Punk shrugged, "And you didn't go to yours. Well… that's what mom tells me."

"I was in hospital." Thea nodded to him briefly as he looked across at her staring at the picture of Cassie, "She looked so good." She smiled to herself.

"_Not too much make-up." 18 year old Cassie emphasised, sitting at the kitchen table, her hair in rollers whilst Thea got ready to do her make-up for her. _

"_Come on, I'm not gonna have you looking like a clown." Thea said, "Trust me."_

"_I don't." Cassie mumbled. _

"_Aren't you sad to leave all your friends? I mean, they're all going to college and you're going to the academy." Thea said, taking out the make-up brushes from her bag, looking at all the make-up sprawled out on the kitchen table, wondering what to start with first._

"_I only have like two friends." Cassie chuckled a little, "And one isn't even going to college. I'm not that sad." She shrugged._

"_Well… are you nervous?" Thea smiled, "Close your eyes." She said as Cassie closed her eyes over and let her biggest sister do her make-up, a thing she knew very little about._

"_I'm a little nervous." Cassie said, "Just because I don't know what to expect." She admitted._

"_Well I guess that's like any new job or career step. The unknown is always the scariest part. Once you get past that it's easy sailing." Thea nodded._

"_Somehow I don't think being a cop gets easier." Cassie said, "But I'm up for it." She shrugged as Thea smiled._

_The big age cap between her and Cassie had always made them pass ships in the nights at time, but never had it made them any less sisterly. In a way it made her emotional to see her littlest sister become not so little anymore. She remembered when she was just a baby, almost having to be the second parent for her. _

"_You're a badass." Thea smiled, "So… since it's just me and you in here, you got a date tonight?" She asked. Of course she had to get the gossip._

"_No." Cassie chuckled, "I'm going with my friends. We made a pact at the beginning of the year." She said._

"_To be boring?" Thea teased._

"_Shut up." Cassie smiled, "I'll have way more fun with them than any boy." She said as Thea smiled._

"_I wish I thought like you when I was eighteen." Thea admitted truthfully as Cassie just smiled._

"_Hey! Sorry, I'm late." Jude came through the door, taking her coat off and making her way into the kitchen, "Damn, one woman glam squad, huh?"_

"_Well two woman now." Thea said, "Start taking her rollers out." She nodded._

"_Ok." Jude said, standing behind Cassie as she began taking her rollers out._

"_So this is how many people it takes to make me look pretty?" Cassie smiled._

"_Uh no. We're just amplifying it." Thea said as Cassie chuckled._

"_Well I'm glad, because I have no clue about any of this stuff." Cassie said, "I'd be showing up with my hair tied back and some jeans on." She said as Thea and Jude chuckled._

"_Not on my watch." Thea chuckled, beginning to apply eyeshadow. No matter if they had moved out of the house, or they were having their own families, moving on with their own careers and own lives, they always had each other._

* * *

_Eight Months Later…_

"_Where's Cassie? Where'd they take her?" Jude grabbed hold of Thea who came back into the wedding venue's main reception, "Where is she?"_

"_I-I don't know." Thea shook her head, walking back into the reception with Dominic, "You need to get out of that dress." She advised._

"_Sean said he can't find mom and dad." Jude said as Thea grabbed her by the arm._

"_Yeah, I… I don't know… I don't know where they are." Thea shook her head, taking her sister towards the hotel rooms._

"_I'm gonna go look for them." Dominic whispered to Thea who nodded, squeezing his hand and looking up at him before he ran off in the opposite direction._

"_Where is Sean?" Jude asked, her head all over the place as she looked aroud._

"_He's off to look for mom and dad." Thea nodded, "Where's your room key?" She asked, approaching the honeymoon suite._

"_I don't have it." Jude shook her head, "But… But Kirsty is in there with the kids." She nodded as Thea knocked on the room door._

_They waited a minute before Kirsty, Jude's best friend and maid of honour, opened up the door with eight month Mirren balanced on her hip._

"_Hey." Kirsty said with relief as Jude and Thea walked in._

"_Oh, come here, baby." Jude sighed to herself, taking Mirren from Kirsty desperately, holding her close to her, completely forgetting about the blood down her dress, just desperate to hold her angel baby girl, "Momma's here, it's ok." She sighed, kissing Mirren's head._

"_Where is everyone?" Kirsty asked worriedly as Thea closed the door over, leaning it against it and taking a deep breath._

"_Sean and Dominic are looking for my parents." Thea nodded to her, running her hands over her hair, "Where's the kids?" She asked, walking over to the couch area as Kirsty looked at her with confusion._

"_What?" Kirsty shook her head._

"_James and Sofia?" Thea questioned, turning to her and turning back to the rest of the room, walking around the corner where the bed was, noticing no one was there._

"_I don't have them." Kirsty shook her head as Thea walked back into the seating area._

"_What the hell are you talking about? Yes you do." Thea said. The thought of anything else wasn't possible._

"_No, I just… I just had Mirren. I thought you and Dominic had the kids." Kirsty said as Jude looked over at Thea who had gone a white, almost grey colour._

"_We don't have them. Dominic thinks they're with you." Thea said, never feeling as bad as she did right now, the pit of her stomach doing constant turns, feeling sick to her stomach._

"_They're not with me." Kirsty shook her head._


	94. Whose Blood

**Whose Blood**

* * *

"Look at this place." Jude said, walking into the living room, collapsing down beside Sean and shoving the laptop in front of him as she showed him a wedding venue she'd been looking at, "It's a hotel but they do weddings, small or big." She said, "It's a little far out but it's not like we're having hundreds of people going." She said as Sean took a look at the laptop.

"Looks really nice." Sean observed, "Is it in the budget?" He asked her.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, pointing to the bottom of the screen where the prices were.

"Yeah, just." Sean scoffed, "Maybe we could find something cheaper." He turned to her as she frowned.

"But I like this place." Jude said, "I mean, the hotel rooms are stunning. Look at the honeymoon suite." She said, flicking through some of the gallery pictures to get to the honeymoon suite, "Isn't it nice?" She smiled, "I could be on that bed in a year's time." She whispered in his ear as he laughed a little.

"Is this how you're gonna get me to agree to things?" Sean chuckled as she smiled, watching him turn back around and look at the honeymoon suite, "It is nice." He nodded.

"It's the first place I've looked at that I can actually see us getting married in." She admitted as he turned her, noticing her looking at the laptop with excitement. It was all he wanted her to feel.

"If you think this is the place then… it's the place." Sean smiled to her.

"But do you? It's not just about me." She made clear, running her hand down the back of his head.

"I can definitely see you on that bed." He assured her as she chuckled.

"Good. Me too." Jude smiled excitedly as he laughed, watching her take the laptop back, sitting beside him with it in front of her, "I've shocked myself, I didn't think this was gonna be exciting but it is." She said as Sean smiled.

"Why don't we go check this place out at the weekend? Talk to the manager and… maybe even set a date." He raised his eyebrows as she raised hers.

"Ok." Jude nodded with a smile, "And hey, I don't want you to think that all this stuff actually matters to me. I mean, it does but… all that matters is that we're getting married." Jude smiled, "These are all just really pretty extras." She said as he smiled.

"Yeah, I know." He nodded, leaning over and kissing her sweetly as she kissed back.

* * *

"Are you still not talking to me?" Dominic asked the next morning, walking into the kitchen where Thea was having breakfast and ignoring him, "What do you want me to do and I'll do it. I feel like an ass-"

"You are an ass." Thea mumbled as he nodded.

"I never meant for it to come out the way it did. Like that's all I see you as. Of course it isn't." He said, "I just meant that I… I don't need the fancy dinners to be in love with you and want to spend time with you." He said, "I love you as you. I love you when you're rushing around crazy and you're wiping snot from Sofia's nose and getting James to eat his veg. I love all that shit." He said as Thea looked at him, "You don't have to tone it all down for me. It's me."

"I was just trying to do something nice for once. Give us a break." She nodded to him, "Clearly you didn't get that."

"I did. I do get it." Dominic said, pulling out the chair beside her and facing her, "And I'm sorry that I hurt you and made you feel like I didn't appreciate it. I did. But that's not us. I know you. You're not a candlelit dinner person-"

"No, I'm a pizza person who takes my clothes off." Thea turned to him, shaking her head.

"No, that's not what I meant." Dominic sighed, "That just came out. I know you won't believe it but it was meant in a good way."

"Do you have any idea how degrading that sounds? How humiliating?" Thea asked.

"I know, I'm sorry. It just came out and… I didn't mean it in the way you took it." He said, "But some of our best dates and memories are just… us hanging out." He reminded her as she looked at him, "And I know things had been difficult lately with our shifts clashing and the kids, but I still love you through that. We don't need to have a romantic dinner for me to appreciate you, or for you to appreciate me. That's not us." He said, "Is it?" He questioned as she looked at him.

She knew what he was saying, and she knew it wasn't them. They found their romance elsewhere, doing other things, and it went to show how well he knew her and what he knew she really wanted.

"I just thought it'd be nice to try it." Thea shrugged.

"It was. But I know you, and I know that stuff like that doesn't fulfil you." He said as she looked at him and nodded. She figured maybe she'd tried to hard to be other people they weren't, and he recognised that the second he walked into the house last night.

"It doesn't." Thea agreed, "You could have been less mean about it, though." She said, still not backing down.

"I know that, and I'm sorry for that. I couldn't sleep thinking about what I said. It was… really not how I meant it." He assured her, "I just don't want you to ever feel like you have to change, just because we're growing and things are moving forward." He said, cupping her cheek softly as she looked at him.

"Figured it's the adult thing to do, right?" She shrugged.

"There's no rules." He assured her.

"I just hear girls at work, and that's what they do when they're kids are staying with someone else." Thea said.

"You don't have to compare." Dominic said.

"Yeah, I know." Thea said, "But you were late and you did piss me off." She tutted as he nodded.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. I am." He nodded sincerely as she looked at him, "When are the kids getting back?" He wondered.

"I'm picking them up later in the afternoon." Thea said as Dominic nodded.

"Then why don't we go out for ice-cream? Go for a walk in the park?" He asked her as she looked at him with a small smile. He got her. He knew her so well and knew the things that really brightened her day. Things that did fulfil her more than a candlelit dinner.

"Sounds nice." Thea nodded to him, "First, you have some extra making up to do, though." She smirked as he smiled across at her, watching her get up from the kitchen table, about to walk out as he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back, kissing her passionately as she kissed back, feeling him pick her up and sit her on the kitchen table.

"Here will do." He said as Thea bit her lip and smiled, feeling him pull her jeans and panties down, watching as he crouched down and disappeared between her legs as she rolled her head back.

* * *

"Cassie, how did things go at the hospital the other day?" Jake, Cassie's main boss approached her at her desk, which once used to be Theo's.

"It was ok. He was still pretty out of it so I didn't get much out of him." Cassie told him as he nodded, "He did care to tell me that his ex-girlfriend was the one who invited him out that night, so I'm gonna go talk to her later." She nodded to him. She was handling a case of her own with a few other cops, glad to have something to sink her teeth into.

"That's good. Maybe return back to the hospital to get more from him when he's a little more alert." Jake advised as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, I will." Cassie nodded, "Has there been anymore phone calls?" She wondered.

"No, actually. None yesterday and none today." Jake nodded, "I also contacted the department in Puerto Rico just to alert them about it. Maybe they paid her a visit, gave her a warning." He said as Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, maybe. Well just let me know if she calls again." Cassie nodded.

"I will." Jake nodded, "She's just a woman grieving."

"A woman grieving can be a dangerous one." Cassie nodded, "Even more so an insane woman grieving." She shook her head.

"So I assume you don't call her gran fondly?" Jake said.

"Barely met the woman. I just know she's trouble. I know the whole family is. My parents still treat me as the baby so they like to soften things for me. Don't tell me the full extent to things but… search Mendez in the system, you get it all."

"Best not to look into it too much. You don't wanna fry your head too much with it." Jake advised.

"Yeah, I know." Cassie said, "I got more important shit to be getting on with." She nodded.

"As your boss, I agree." He smiled to her as she nodded, "Keep up the good work." He nodded, patting her on the back and walking off as Cassie smiled.

She looked back at the computer, getting a glance of the teddy bear Theo had given her which she'd sat his badge in between, sat in the corner of her desk. It always made her smile.

* * *

"_Hey, I need some help!"_

_Nurses and doctors turned around, gasping a little as they saw a man holding a young girl in his arms, keeping his hand on her waist to apply pressure._

"_Oh my God." A nurse came running over, "Someone get a bed." She called back to her colleagues._

"_Her name is Cassie. She was stabbed at her sister's wedding." He nodded frantically, looking down at Cassie in and out of consciousness, watching as one of the nurses wheeled a gurney over._

"_Place her down here." The nurse instructed as the young man lay her down on the gurney, looking at her blood soaked dress at the side, following the nurses as they wheeled her down the corridor, already beginning to cut her dress open._

"_Is she gonna be ok?" He asked, following like a lost puppy as they wheeled her through some swing doors, a nurse stopping him in his tracks._

"_You can't come any further." The nurse nodded to him as he ran his hands through his hair, "Are you family?" She asked him curiously as he shook his head._

"_No… No, just… just a friend." He nodded slowly._

"_Did you see what happened to her?" The nurse asked as he shook his head._

"_No." He said, "I know who it was, though."_

"_Well, police will be called shortly so… it's best you stick around." She advised as he looked across at her._

"_I am the police." He nodded, "But I'm sticking around anyway." He nodded nervously, pacing back down the corridor, running his hands through his hair anxiously._


	95. Disconnected

**Disconnected**

* * *

"So much for you wanting to wait until at least a year. Four months away now." Thea smiled to her little sister, standing in the wedding dress shop with her in the large dressing room area they had hired for the day in hopes she could find her dress.

A few months had gone by and Jude and Sean had settled on their wedding venue and date, which was sooner than they thought but regardless, it didn't matter to them. They were really starting to plan things, hire caterers, design a wedding cake, send out invitations and a ton more. It was all stressful but so exciting. Having something to focus on was really helping Jude, as well as her continuous therapy sessions with Tracy. She hadn't felt this bright in a long time.

"It's so exciting." Jude smiled, "Can you please behave today, though." She said quietly as Thea turned to her, looking through the rack for more dresses to try on that she liked the look of.

"What do you mean?" Thea turned to her.

"I mean, don't be rude to Sean's mom." Jude said.

"I'm not one big nasty walking bitch, Jude." Thea scoffed as Jude looked at her, unconvinced, "But if you ask me, she shouldn't be here." Thea whispered.

"This is what I'm talking about." Jude whispered.

"Well she shouldn't." Thea said, "It should just be us, mom, Kirsty and Cassie."

"It's her son's wedding too." Jude said.

"Then she can go help him find a suit." Thea shrugged.

"Stop it." Jude said, "This is my mother-in-law. And she's a nice lady."

"She's snooty." Thea scoffed.

"No she isn't." Jude shook her head, "It means a lot to Sean that she's here with us, make her feel welcome and make sure mom doesn't start swinging. She behaves as well as you sometimes." She said, looking over at her mother and Gail, Sean's mom, who were sitting on the couch not saying anything to one another awkwardly, "God." Jude rolled her eyes.

"Ladies, would you like a mimosa?" The shop owner walked over with complimentary drinks as Thea looked at them.

"Yes." Jude said immediately, taking the champagne glass from the tray and taking a drink as Thea watched her.

"Easy." Thea laughed, "Could I have one without the champagne?" She asked the owner.

"Of course." The owner smiled, walking off to offer some drinks to AJ and Gail, who still weren't saying anything to each other.

"Can you please go over there and start a conversation." Jude begged, feeling anxious noticing her mother not saying a thing to Gail.

"Why me?" Thea whined.

"Well Cassie isn't even here yet and I'm pretty sure Kirsty is throwing up in the bathroom with a hangover." Jude scoffed.

"Some maid of honour she is." Thea tutted as Jude looked at her pleadingly, "Oh, fine." She shook her head, walking her way over to her mother and Gail, meanwhile Cassie arrived in the shop.

"Hey, I'm here." Cassie announced, running into the shop, lifting a mimosa from the tray at the front desk as she ran her way into the large dressing room area with the couches, "Sorry, I'm late." She apologised to Jude.

"That's ok. I'm glad you're here." Jude smiled.

"I just had to clear some stuff up at the station." Cassie nodded, "But I'm here and I'm ready to help you pick your dress." She smiled, clinking her glass against her sisters.

"I've sent Thea over to make sure mom and Gail don't kill each other with silence." Jude shook her head as Cassie looked over and laughed a little.

"Mom can be such a bitch." Cassie shook her head, "I love it." She said.

"Ok, I think I'm all thrown up." Kirsty announced, coming out from the bathroom, feeling accomplished.

"Ok, well I've picked a few dresses out already. I'm gonna go try them." Jude nodded.

"I'll help you." Kirsty nodded, heading past the curtain with Jude and closing it over to try on some dresses.

Meanwhile AJ was struggling to find conversation with her daughter's future mother-in-law. The woman was pleasant and kind, just very different from her and her family.

"She's so indecisive, we're gonna be here all day." Thea said, trying to create conversation, "My wedding dress was the first one I picked out." She nodded as Gail just smiled politely, not saying anything whilst AJ looked at Thea, as if in physical pain.

"Hey." Cassie walked over to where they were sitting, "Sorry I'm late."

"You're Cassie? The police officer?" Gail asked.

"Yes ma'am." Cassie smiled, "I can't believe it's only four months away now." She shook her head.

"It is going by rather quickly." Gail agreed.

Meanwhile Kirsty opened up the curtain to show Jude in the first dress she'd tried on, "Dress number one." Kirsty announced as Jude walked out, holding the dress up so she didn't trip.

"Oh." AJ placed her hand on her chest, standing up as she looked at her baby girl in the most beautiful dress, "You look beautiful." She sighed to herself as Jude smiled to her.

"I do like this one." Jude nodded, "I'm not sure about the back, though." She said, turning around to let them see the back of the dress.

"Oh, yeah I don't like the back." Thea said honestly.

"Yeah, that looks like a rack of meat." Cassie agreed as Jude turned to her.

"Thanks, Cass." Jude scoffed.

"No… well, you know what I mean." Cassie said.

"Well I'm no use in this part, I think you look stunning." AJ waved her hand as Jude smiled.

"What do you think, Gail?" Jude asked. She desperately wanted to include her mother-in-law in this. Not to seek approval but just because it felt like the right thing to do.

"Well, it's lovely." Gail nodded as Jude smiled, "But I was thinking maybe something that covered your chest a little better would… be more suitable." She smiled as Jude nodded slowly.

"What?" Thea laughed, "No way, we gotta have some cleavage out." She said.

"Yeah, I vote for tits out." Cassie added as AJ turned to them both with wide, angry eyes whilst Gail looked shocked.

"Noted." Jude nodded to them both angrily as Thea and Cassie smiled innocently, "I'll go… try another one on." She announced, walking back through the curtain, "I'm gonna kill them." She told Kirsty who just chuckled.

Jude tried on many dresses, all which were beautiful but never felt like the perfect one. She was beginning to give up hope until one of the last dresses she tried. As soon as she got it on, it felt perfect. She loved the way it felt on her without even seeing it yet. Something about it just made her feel magical, like a princess.

"Dress number… I've lost count." Kirsty admitted, pulling the curtain back as Jude walked out. It was pretty plain, satin and not too long at the back, but fit her perfectly in all the right places.

"Ok, that is… super pretty." Cassie stood up immediately as Thea looked on with a smile.

"I really like this one." Jude admitted truthfully, "Really like it." She emphasised.

"It's so beautiful." Thea smiled, "You look amazing."

"God damn it, I'm sick of this." AJ sighed, drying more tears with the tissue in her pocket, "It's stunning, Jude." She shook her head in awe as Jude smiled, turning around to let them see the back.

"I really like it." Jude said happily, looking in the mirror, really imagining herself getting married in this one.

"It's very beautiful." Gail added as Jude smiled.

"I think this might be the one." Jude smiled excitedly, brushing her hands down the front of it, "This is it."

* * *

"_Help!" AJ yelled, banging on the door of the basement closet, desperately trying to open it up, pulling at the handle aggressively, but the door had been locked._

"_I'll try break it down." Punk told her as she stepped aside, watching as he began kicking at the door, which to their dismay was a pretty heavy, steel door. _

"_What about your phone? I don't have mine." She said worriedly._

"_I left mine at the table." Punk groaned to himself, "Fuck." He walked away from the door, putting his hands over his face as AJ watched worriedly._

"_Phil, what the hell is going on?" AJ shook her head worriedly, "Why are they here and what are they doing?" She asked, feeling extremely disconnected from everything that was going on._

"_I don't know, April." Punk said with frustration._

"_What about the girls?" AJ asked, in fear of something happening to them._

"_They'll… They'll be fine." Punk said, saying anything to keep her calm._

"_Help!" AJ yelled loudly, banging at the door, frightened and worried for her children and her family's safety as she and her husband had been pretty much taken out of the picture, "Help!" AJ screamed desperately._

"_No one is gonna hear us." Punk told her._

"_Well what are we gonna do?" AJ snapped, "What's happening up there?" She cried worriedly as Punk looked over at her, walking over and taking her hands._

"_Look at me." He said calmly as she looked at him, "It's gonna be ok." He nodded. He didn't know it would be. He was doubtful. Worried to death himself. Feeling helpless and shut out, but he couldn't watch his wife panic. _

_The day had been glorious. They got to watch their daughter get married to someone she loved and adored. It was beautiful. AJ had the best time helping her daughter get ready. Punk beamed with pride as he walked her down the aisle. It was beautiful and peaceful, and then… suddenly it wasn't. And that dreaded cloud they knew all too well came looming over them._

"_You don't know that." AJ cried, "Why are they here, Phil? We-We shouldn't have come down here." AJ shook her head stressfully, "Why would they lock us in here? I mean… obviously they're up to something and the girls are up there and I-"_

"_Just take a deep breath." Punk pleaded with her as she placed her hands in her hair, "We'll get out of here." He assured her, "I don't know why they're here or… or what they want." He gulped, "But just… keep your cool, I'll get us out." He promised her as she looked at him and nodded slowly, "Help me find something to break the door down with."_


	96. Bachelorette

**Bachelorette**

* * *

"I don't want a big, wild bachelorette party." Jude made clear, "Just some dinner and drinks, that's it." She warned, holding six month old Mirren in her arms, bouncing her and making funny faces at her as she smiled. Getting to watch her daughter grow from a tiny newborn into a little character who smiled and reacted was way better than any sort of wedding planning. Her and Sean both agreed on that.

"Sorry, I can't hear." Thea smiled, sitting in her mother's kitchen.

"Thea, I'm serious." Jude said, "No… funny business."

"Why are you just warning me?" Thea laughed as AJ and Punk came into the kitchen.

"Because I know you're most likely to… order strippers and I don't want any balls on my head, thanks very much." Jude shook her head as Punk put his hands on his hips and looked at them both, "Oh, sorry dad." She noticed casually.

"Can we check to see who walks into rooms before we open our mouths?" He nodded to them both as AJ just chuckled.

"Mom, tell Jude to let me get her a stripper." Thea whined like a child as AJ laughed whilst Punk tried to block out their voices the best he could.

"There's a sentence I never thought my kids would say to me." AJ nodded to herself.

"It's funny." Thea said, "Sean will have strippers at his." She scoffed.

"Um, no he won't." Jude laughed at the mere thought of it.

"Yes, he will." Thea assured her, "So, you should have one at yours. It's funny. I've already got t-shirts made for you." She nodded as Jude shook her head with dread.

"I seriously regret leaving you and Kirsty in charge of my bachelorette." Jude sighed.

"When is it?" AJ asked.

"This weekend." Jude reminded her.

"Oh, that soon, huh?" AJ raised her eyebrows.

"Morning." Cassie walked into the kitchen, budging her father out the way, taking the coffee pot from him and filling her own mug up first as Punk rolled his eyes.

"Remember Jude's bachelorette this weekend." Thea told Cassie.

"Oh, yeah." Cassie smiled, "How's ready to get their strip club on." She danced as Thea gave her a high five.

"I hate this house." Punk moaned, grabbing his coffee and walking out of the kitchen as they laughed.

"You guys, please… I don't want anything ridiculous." Jude shook her head as Thea smiled and shrugged.

"Noted." Thea smiled.

"Wait, who is watching the kids?" AJ wondered as Thea and Jude looked at each other.

"Dad!" Thea and Jude both called.

"Punker, get in here!" Thea called as AJ shook her head, watching Punk slowly walk back into the kitchen with caution.

"What?" He said suspiciously.

"What are you doing on Saturday?" Jude smiled sweetly to him.

"I'm working." Punk nodded.

"Saturday night." Thea said.

"Nothing, why?" He asked curiously.

"How would you like to spend the night with three angels?" Jude smiled as Punk looked at them both.

"You want me to babysit all three of them? On my own?" He asked as they both nodded.

"Well Sean's having his bachelor party the same night as me and… Dominic is invited so, there's no one else really." Jude said as Punk just nodded.

"Yeah, sure." Punk nodded, "I'll babysit this little angel all day long." He smiled, looking over Mirren who was smiling over at him, not being able to resist as he scooped her up from Jude and gave her a squeeze.

"Uh… what about my kids?" Thea laughed, a little offended.

"Please, Sofia will murder me one day, I know it." Punk said.

"Just don't give her any sugar and she's fine. I tell you this all the time." Thea said.

"Don't worry, dad. We won't be home late anyway." Jude assured him as Thea just smirked, looking at Cassie who equally smirked back. They were gonna have a party, that was for sure.

* * *

"Do you want me to help you inside?" AJ laughed a little, walking Jude to the front door of her house, past one in the morning, getting home from her bachelorette party which wasn't just dinner and a few drinks, not under Thea's watch.

"I'm fine." Jude assured her mother, drunk but still aware of everything. She'd had fun, that was the most important thing. Even if it did include a lot of appropriate things, and a lot of strippers.

"Did you have fun?" AJ smiled as Jude nodded, "Do you need to throw up?" She wondered

"Maybe." Jude thought to herself, "No, I'm good." She said with drunk eyes, "I love you." She pointed as AJ chuckled.

"I love you too." AJ laughed a little, giving her a hug and kissing her head.

"You're the best mom." Jude told her as AJ smiled.

"Ok, you need to get to bed." AJ nodded, "Give me your key." She said, taking the key from her hand and opening up the door, "You sure you don't want help going upstairs?"

"No no, I'm fine." Jude waved, "You go." She nodded.

"Ok. I'll call you tomorrow to see how your head is." AJ chuckled, "Lock the door behind me." She warned as Jude nodded, watching her mother leave the house.

AJ walked back onto the sidewalk where Cassie was standing waiting, also drunk, but very much able to carry her alcohol.

"Do you think we went overboard on the strippers?" Cassie asked her mother as AJ smiled.

"Maybe." AJ said, "Jude really didn't seem to mind, though." She laughed a little.

"I didn't mind." Cassie assured her as AJ smiled.

"I'm sure you didn't." AJ shook her head, linking her arm through hers. She'd taken care of one intoxicated daughter, now she was taking care of the other.

Meanwhile Jude was making her way upstairs, holding her purse, her bachelorette custom tee and her party bag which some inappropriate items inside.

She stumbled into the bedroom, looking over at Sean in bed, smiling to herself as she made her way over to the bed, collapsing down beside him, looking in her party bag, pulling out the feather and tickling his nose with it, giggling to herself as she watched him wake up.

"What…" Sean shook his head, equally as drunk as her after his own bachelor party, waking up out of his drunken sleep, smiling as he noticed her, "You're drunk." He pointed with shame.

"You're drunk." She mimicked as he chuckled.

"I got some bachelorette gifts." She told him drunkenly, shaking her party bag, looking inside and pulling out the handcuffs, dangling them out in front of him as he nodded, impressed until she pulled out the dildo.

"That ain't going anywhere." Sean warned as Jude smiled, licking the tip of it and throwing it at him as he laughed, "You said you just… you just wanted dinner and… and drinks." He said drunkenly whilst she tried cuffing his hand to the headboard whilst giggling.

"I did." Jude nodded, focusing hard on getting the handcuffs locked.

"What are you doing?" Sean chuckled, watching as she got off the bed, taking her clothes off slowly as he tilted his head and smirked, watching as she climbed over the bed on top of him in her underwear, "You're the only one I wanna watch strip." He nodded as she smiled, placing her hands on his chest, leaning down and kissing him slowly.

He reached behind her with his free hand, the other staying cuffed to the bed, unclasping her bra with one hand and pulling her bra off.

"You want a stripper?" She asked drunkenly, getting off from him on the bed, moving her hips around as he watched her eagerly, getting extremely hard as he watched her run her hands up her body and through her hair. He swore he had the most beautiful fiancé in the world.

"Fuck." He whispered, watching as she hooked her fingers at the side of her panties, slowly pushing them down her legs, kicking them over to him to him and smiling, making her way back over to the bed and climbing over him, kissing him as he grabbed a hold of her waist and let her take control.

* * *

"Ok, just go straight up to bed." AJ laughed a little getting home, having had Cassie's finest running commentary as they walked home from the club.

"Yeah, ok ok." Cassie placed her hand on the wall, steadying herself whilst Punk walked out of the living room.

"So much for not being late." Punk folded his arms as AJ smiled, "Can you make it upstairs ok?" He wondered, watching Cassie put a foot on the stairs, eyeing it up carefully as he rolled his eyes.

"I can indeed." Cassie nodded confidently, grabbing hold of the banister and climbing another step, almost missing it and stumbling down.

"Yeah, ok… I think you need some assistance." Punk nodded.

"No, no.. shhh, shh, it's fine. It's fine." Cassie told him, reaching out for the wall, trying to find out where it had gone as Punk turned to AJ.

"I think she got more drunk as the air hit her." AJ said as Punk shook his head.

"I'll get her upstairs." He shook his head, "Did you guys have fun?" He smiled to AJ.

"Yeah, it was good. Jude had fun. She really let her hair down. It was good to see." AJ smiled.

"I'd love to hear about it but… I figure it's nothing I gotta know about." He said.

"Oh, baby we'd lose you to a heart attack." AJ pouted, cupping his cheek as he laughed a little.

"Ok, bambi… let's get you to bed." Punk said, climbing up the two stairs which Cassie had only managed, helping her up the rest whilst AJ smiled and wandered into the living room, noticing James and Sofia asleep on the couch with a blanket.

She smiled over at them peacefully sleeping. She knew Punk wasn't strict on bedtime. He was the same with Thea and Jude. He'd let them fall asleep on the couch and then just scoop them up when he was going to bed. She figured he liked the company beside them and keeping his eye on them.

She walked over to them, placing a kiss on their heads and tucking the blanket over them, watching them with a never ending smile until Punk came back in the living room.

"They fell asleep and I was… watching the end of Indiana Jones." He explained as AJ smiled. Oh, how she loved her husband.

"And they weren't fan of it clearly?" She smiled, standing up and looking over at him.

"Not so much." He smiled, "We had pizza and then they helped me feed Mirren and put her down. It was sweet as hell." He smiled to himself. He'd had an unexpectedly relaxing and beautiful night with his three grandchildren. I

"Sounds like you had fun." AJ smiled, wrapping her arms around him as he kissed her head, "They're so peaceful." She watched the kids with a smile as Punk nodded.

"I'm guessing my night was a lot more innocent than yours?" He questioned, "Cassie cared to tell me, in her unstable state that she was drinking shots off a strippers body." He nodded, soul crushing as he said it, "It's what every father wants to hear." He said proudly as AJ chuckled.

"We had fun, that's all you need to know." She smiled.

"We?" He raised a brow, "April Mendez, were you participating?"

"No." AJ scoffed, "I'm a good girl." She promised him as he laughed a little.

"Yeah, right." He scoffed as she hugged back into him, looking over at James and Sofia with a smile upon their safety.

* * *

**A/N: The wedding is fast approaching! Thanks for waiting it out and reviewing!**


	97. Wedding Day

**Wedding Day**

* * *

**A/N: Time for it all to be pieced together! Enjoy, if you can. Big chapter.**

* * *

"Who's getting married today?" Thea called, walking into the bridal suite in the hotel where Jude was getting married, holding her dress which she had picked up on the way there.

"Me!" Jude called excitedly, sitting over by the window getting her hair and make-up done by Kirsty.

"Who's already started drinking?" Cassie called from the couch, "Me!" She raised her glass of champagne up.

"Yeah, don't rub it in." Thea tapped her head as she walked by the couch to hang up the wedding dress on the rack, "How'd you sleep?" She asked Jude.

"I didn't." Jude laughed a little, "I'm nervous. I really don't know why. It seems so ridiculous." She shook her head.

"It's not ridiculous. It's your wedding day." Thea smiled, "And it's gonna be great." She nodded, "Where's mom?" She asked.

"In the bathroom." Jude said, "More nervous than me, I think." She laughed a little, listening as Mirren sat in her play pen, throwing one of her toys out like she'd been doing all morning for everyone's attention.

"Hey, you." Thea smiled in a funny voice, walking over to the playpen and lifting eight month old Mirren out as Jude watched with a smile. Her daughter and what she had with her little family was way more important than any wedding day, nothing was bigger or better than having her baby girl and raising her with the man she loved. This just felt like a really amazing extra. And a day to celebrate that love and her family.

"She's been throwing toys out all morning." Jude smiled, watching Mirren grab onto Thea's hair. She had her own little personality and character, a mixture of both her and Sean, and that was amazing to see.

"Are you excited for mommy and daddy to get married?" Thea asked Mirren, "Or you just wanna nibble on my hand?" She looked on at Mirren biting her.

"She's teething." Jude nodded.

"Poor baby." Thea kissed her head, "Look at your pretty dress, oh you're gonna be so beautiful." Thea nodded to the eight month old, "And you're pretty hairband." She looked on at Mirren's outfit all laid out.

"Why does she wear hairbands?" Cassie wondered, "She has like four strands of hair." She laughed a little as Jude rolled her eyes.

"Because they're cute as hell, that's why." Jude answered.

"I left Dominic in charge of getting the kids ready. Sofia's dress will be on backwards and James' shirt won't be ironed properly." Thea tutted as Jude smiled.

"Don't underestimate him just yet." Jude said as Thea smiled.

"Ok, who is next for make-up?" Kirsty asked.

"Me, I got here first." Cassie stood up, making her way over to the chair with her champagne as Jude smiled.

"Are you still bringing a date today or has that been cancelled?" Jude asked her.

"Cancelled." Cassie nodded, "I realised I'm just not ready for that yet." She admitted. She had been planning to ask a date to her sister's wedding, but she found it so tough. She didn't want to admit it to anyone, but the reason she had been using dating apps and hooking up was because she really didn't know where her head was at. The thought of dating, even entertaining it, it didn't feel right.

"That's ok." Thea assured her as Cassie nodded with a smile.

"Hey, I thought I was next." AJ came out of the bathroom, noticing Cassie getting her make-up done.

"Too late." Cassie smiled as AJ shook her head.

"Your make-up is beautiful, Jude." AJ noticed as Jude smiled, looking in the mirror at her subtle make-up, courtesy of her best friend.

Everything was going to plan so far, and as the time ticked by, she definitely got more nervous.

* * *

A few hours past where the girls got ready, helping one another with make-up, hair and dresses, particularly Jude of course. The wedding was fast approaching and Jude was getting more nervous, locking herself in the bathroom to calm herself down.

Meanwhile there was a knock at the door as AJ went to answer it, opening it up to see Punk standing in his suit.

"Oh, hi handsome." AJ smiled, leaning up and kissing him.

"You look gorgeous." Punk looked at her in awe, watching her turn around to give him a full look as he nodded, "Mhm." He nodded as she chuckled, letting him into the room, "Don't you all clean up well." He smiled, looking on at his two daughters and Kirsty.

"We should get going." AJ nodded to Thea and Cassie.

"Yeah, ok." Cassie nodded, holding Mirren in her arms.

"Ok." Thea nodded, making sure she had everything with her, "She's super nervous." She told her father discreetly as she walked by, watching him nod.

"Ok, you all look great." Punk nodded, "Especially you, little one." He smiled, tickling under Mirren's chin as she giggled, causing Cassie to smile.

"Ok, we'll… see you out there." AJ smiled nervously as Punk nodded, watching them leave the room, leaving him and Kirsty behind.

"Jude, your dad is here. I think… we're ready to go." She smiled, calling into the bathroom.

"Ok." Jude said, looking in the mirror and taking a deep breath. There was an inner voice that still shamed her. That still deemed her not worthy of moments like this. Moments of loving herself and feeling worth the love she had around her. But therapy over the years had taught her how to tell that voice to shut the fuck up. And that's exactly what she did.

She opened the bathroom door, lifting her dress at the front as she walked out, looking over at her father who smiled immediately.

"Jude, you… you look beautiful." Punk smiled whilst Kirsty clasped her hands over her mouth, so happy for her best friend.

"Good, cause it was all expensive." She nodded as he smiled, "Between us three… I feel like peeing my pants right now." She admitted as Kirsty smiled.

"Best not to do that." Punk advised.

"Yeah." She took a deep breath, looking over at him as she smiled.

"You ready to go?" He nodded. He'd already walked Thea down the aisle at her wedding, but he knew each time would be different. He was sure when it was time for Cassie's wedding, it would feel different again. Because he loved his daughter's just the same, but he shared a different bond with all of them.

"Yeah, let's do this." Jude took a deep breath.

"I'll get the back of your dress." Kirsty said, "Here take these." She said, handing Jude the small bunch of flowers for her to hold, making sure she had everything.

They left the hotel room, making their way to where the ceremony was taking place, standing outside the doors until they were ready to go.

"There seems like a lot of people there." Jude gulped.

"Just a few." Punk said calmly, "You got this." He assured her as she looked up at him and nodded.

"Thank you." Jude nodded to him as he kissed her head, feeling her link her arm through his and nodding to herself, watching as they opened the doors, beginning to make her way down the aisle.

It was very overwhelming having everyone looking at her, but then she caught her eyes onto Sean standing at the top, and suddenly no one else existed in the room.

Punk walked her all the way down, pausing once reaching the end of the aisle as Jude turned to him with a smile. All he hoped for all his children was that they could be this happy. It was everything. But, as a father, it was still very hard to let go.

He leaned down and kissed her cheek as she smiled, about to remove her arm from his as she felt him hold onto it tightly. She tried pulling her hand out from around his arm as he found it hard to let go.

"Dad." Jude whispered awkwardly.

Punk let go of her hand, coughing awkwardly and looking down as Jude laughed a little, watching him wander over to his seat beside her mother. She hoped he knew he'd always be her number one guy.

She turned around, looking on at Sean who gulped nervously, in awe of how beautiful she looked.

"Hi." Jude smiled.

"Hi." Sean smiled back.

"Shall we begin?" The officiant asked as Jude and Sean nodded.

The ceremony proceeded all the way through to the vows, which Sean and Jude had made themselves. Jude voiced hers, touching as many hearts as she could as she declared her love for him. But she was just as nervous to hear Sean's as she was saying her own.

"Jude, you are without a doubt the strongest person I know. And will ever know." He began as Jude looked at him, "I remember the very first day I saw you when you walked into the police station. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. You still are." He nodded, "But… what was on the inside was just as beautiful. I love the way you love. The way you talk about art. You always make me believe anything is possible and I couldn't think of a better person to spend my life with." He said, "When we first started dating, things weren't… the easiest." He nodded, "But it's what made me fall in love with you. Because I've never saw someone so strong, so herself in everything she does." He said, "I remember when we hiked the grand canyon." He said as she smiled at him, "And I watched you look out when we got to the top. It was then I realised I no longer felt like me, without you." He nodded, "I feel so lucky to know my daughter has the most amazing, strong and powerful mother to look up to. With you, I know she'll never feel unworthy. With you, I know she'll feel like anything is possible, and that's all I could hope for." He nodded as Jude smiled, drying the tear under her eye, "I love you. Nothing is ever gonna change that." He said, sliding the ring on her finger as Jude smiled.

"Well…" The officiant said, "I can now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." He nodded.

"Thank God." Sean shook his head as Jude chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck as he leaned down, kissing her passionately as he placed his hands on her waist.

"This is ridiculous." Dean scoffed, sitting beside Punk, drying his tears as Punk turned to him.

"Hey, you ok man?" Punk laughed, wrapping his arm around him as AJ shook her head with a smile.

Thea walked over to Jude and Sean with Mirren, congratulating them both tearfully as she passed Mirren over to Sean who was in her little dress.

"Look, mommy and daddy are married." Jude smiled, showing her rings to Mirren who looked away, interested in the busy room, "Not interesting, huh?" She smiled as Sean chuckled, leaning down and kissing her whilst holding Mirren in his arms.

"I love you." He said as she nodded.

"I love you too."

* * *

"Come on, I wanna dance." AJ begged Punk, later that night at the after party. Tables set up all around the room to cater for all the guests, music playing through the generations, allowing people to get up and dance.

"I can't dance." Punk frowned.

"Come on, this is our song." AJ tugged on his hand.

"Brown eyed girl is your song?" Cassie asked, sipping on her drink through the straw.

"Yeah, when we were young." AJ nodded, "Come on." She pulled Punk up who gave in, standing up and following her to the dancefloor to dance with her as Cassie smiled, turning around where Dominic and Thea were sat beside her, kissing and whispering to one another as she rolled her eyes.

She looked around the hall, getting eyes on Sean and Jude standing by their cake, squashing some against each other's faces, kissing and embracing, rightfully so.

"Well… don't I feel single." Cassie mumbled, looking at her empty glass, "Time for another drink." She concluded, leaving the table and heading over to the bar.

"You can totally dance." AJ shook her head as Punk spun her around, pulling her back into him by the waist.

"I can chair dance." Punk nodded to her as she shook her head.

"No, you can shake that ass, Phil Brooks. I know you can." She nodded as he laughed, spinning her around again and pulling her into him.

"You gon give me some tonight then?" He whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist as she chuckled.

"Maybe, if you behave." AJ chuckled.

"I always behave." Punk defended as she smiled.

Meanwhile Cassie was stood at the bar, deciding to have her drink there, looking around at everyone having a good time. She was so happy for her sister, to see her smiling, overjoyed with happiness, it was the greatest thing.

She watched as her parents finished dancing, messing around on the dancefloor and heading back to their table. The song change immediately pricked her ears as it changed to Love really hurts without you. A song that reminded her of Theo and the time she spent with him.

She sighed to herself almost painfully, turning back to her drink, not even interested in drinking it, feeling tears in her eyes as she heard the song playing loudly. She abandoned the bar, walking past people around the dancefloor and room, headed out into the hotel reception area and towards the toilets.

"So much for not being able to dance, dad." Thea chuckled as her parents returned to the table.

"Oh, he can dance." AJ assured them, sitting down at the table as Punk noticed a piece of paper sitting on his seat folded up. He took it, sitting down and opening it up, "Where are the kids?" AJ asked Thea.

"Oh, they're playing with some other kids. They've made friends." Thea smiled, looking over at the kids in close eye sight playing together. It was beautiful.

"So sweet." AJ smiled, feeling Punk nudge her under the table as she turned around, looking at him and looking down at what he was holding.

She looked at the piece of paper which had 'Come to the basement. Rob.' Written on it, alarming both of them as they looked at one another.

"We're not." Punk shook his head quietly as Punk took it from him.

"Where was this?" AJ asked him.

"On my seat." Punk said quietly, "Must have put it there when we were dancing." He said as AJ looked around the room.

"He's here?" AJ questioned worriedly as Punk looked around discreetly, looking on at Jude and Sean dancing on the dancefloor, getting eyes on his grandchildren, Thea and Dominic, Dean and Renee joining the dancefloor… noticing someone missing.

"Where's Cassie?" Punk felt his heart starting to beat rapidly.

AJ looked around, getting a nervous feeling in her stomach as she turned to Punk, "Let's just go." She said as Punk nodded, both of them standing up from the table and leaving the party, rushing through the reception area and towards the rooms, finding stairs to go down to the basement.

The basement appeared to be one large stock room cupboard which they'd walked into. Punk kept AJ close to him, completely anxious upon this. He wasn't sure if it was legit or someone trying to get under their skin, either way, he had a bad feeling.

"What the hell is going on?" AJ worried, walking further into the room.

"Hey, April." Rob, her brother smiled, standing at the door as Punk and AJ turned around.

"Rob?" AJ shook her head.

"Phil." Rob chuckled, looking over at Punk who kept AJ close to him, "Long time, no see."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Punk spat.

"I wish we could catch up, I do. But… I don't really have time." Rob nodded as AJ looked across at him. She barely recognised him. She didn't know him. He was just as good as a stranger.

"Rob, what are you doing?" AJ shook her head, watching suddenly as he slammed the door shut, listening to a lock turning as AJ ran over to the door, trying to open it up desperately, "Hey! What are you doing?!" She yelled, trying to open the door desperately as Punk ran over.

"He locked it?" Punk asked, trying to open the heavy door.

"Why would he do that?" AJ shook her head, "What the hell is going on?" She questioned as Punk shook his head with confusion.

"Help!" AJ yelled, banging on the door of the basement closet.

* * *

Cassie was in the bathroom, standing at the mirror and fixing her make-up after spilling a few tears. She felt ridiculous about it. To still be upset over a guy she barely even had a relationship with. A guy who had passed on almost a year ago. She was desperate for him to get out of her head now.

She washed her hands at the sink, watching at the corner of her eye as the cubicle door behind her opened up. She grabbed some paper towels to dry her hands, turning around and noticing who it was coming out of the toilet.

"What the hell-" Cassie dropped the paper towels, looking across at Janet, her grandmother.

"Hi, Cassie." Janet smiled, "Figured I'd give you a break from the calls. Thought I'd drop by in person." She nodded.

"What are you doing here?" Cassie questioned worriedly, "Huh?"

"It's a family occasion, isn't it?" Janet asked, "My invitation got lost in the post I reckon-"

"You have no invitation." Cassie spat.

"I also have no husband." Janet hissed, "You didn't think I was gonna go back home and grieve in peace, did you?" She smiled a little as Cassie gulped.

"Whatever you're doing, stop." Cassie said, "It's not gonna end well for you." She said, inching her way around the bathroom, trying to get close to the door to run out.

"It is gonna end well for me this time." Janet assured her, "Your dad took something very important from me." She nodded as Cassie looked across at her. The cop in her was telling her to get out of the bathroom and run for help, especially as she noticed Janet holding a knife.

"Whatever you're planning, don't. You can stop. Your husband was going to kill all of us." Cassie said, trying to edge her way to the door, "My dad had no choice. He was protecting us."

The cop in her was telling her to run, and then there was the human instincts that told her to fight and defend herself. She looked at the knife in Janet's hand, figuring out how to get it from her.

She quickly tried to grab Janet by the arm, wrestling her for the knife in the ladies bathroom.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the party, Thea was sitting with Dominic at their table, leaning against him.

"It's not important." Dominic shook his head as she looked at him.

"I should have at least told my mom or dad." Thea said, "I just… I didn't want anything to ruin Jude's day." She said, looking over at her sister on the dancefloor with her new husband.

"You said you didn't even know if it was really her." Dominic said.

"I know, but I'm sure it was." Thea said, "It looked like her."

"If you told Jude, it would have spoiled her day, made her worry about things. Don't worry so much about it." Dominic nodded to her as she smiled.

"Yeah." She agreed, "I highly doubt she could cause any trouble anyway." She shook her head, "Old bat." She scoffed as Dominic chuckled, kissing her cheek as she kissed him back on the lips.

"You gotta let me go to the bathroom." Jude laughed, standing with Sean who refused to let her go, "Or I'll pee myself." She warned as he laughed.

"Ok, but… don't be long." He smiled.

"Have you seen this dress? I'll be back in about ten songs." She said as he chuckled, watching her leaving the room with a smile.

Jude left the party hall, walking through the hotel reception and heading for the bathroom, holding her dress up to avoid tripping on it, looking up suddenly when she clashed with Cassie who was almost leaning her weight against her.

"Cassie?" Jude questioned with confusion. It wasn't a sisterly hug, it was a collapse, like she couldn't stand properly.

"It's… it's ok." Cassie nodded, holding her side as she stumbled past Jude, almost tripping up as she headed out the hotel entrance, keeping her hand on her side.

Jude shook her head with confusion, not thinking too much about it. Maybe it was the champagne, or the adrenaline. She was about to carry onto the bathroom when she noticed her clean, white dress was not so white, noticing the blood that had appeared down the front of it where Cassie had fell into her.

She gulped, not believing what she was really seeing, listening to the ladies bathroom door opening, looking up and watching as Janet walked out, holding a bloody knife. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, watching as she walked past her casually.

"Happy wedding day, sweetheart." Janet croaked with a smirk, walking past her as Jude watched her in shock as she headed into the party.

Janet made her way into the party, looking around the room filled with happiness and good spirit. She figured the perfect time to celebrate her husband's wake was to start another one elsewhere.

She looked around the room, noticing Thea and Dominic, walking over to them as Thea quickly spotted her.

"Dominic." Thea grabbed him worriedly as Dominic turned around, watching as Janet approached them, holding a bloody knife.

"What-What are you doing here?" Thea asked worriedly as they both stood up in defence right away. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.

"Do you mind if I just…" Janet extended the bloody knife towards Dominic who flinched, watching as she rubbed the blood from the knife on his white shirt.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Thea grabbed her by the neck, digging her nails into her skin as viciously as she could as Janet winced. Dominic glanced over at the kids who was dancing with Kirsty, turning back around to Janet, "I don't know what the hell you're planning or what the hell you're doing here, but you better back the fuck off." Thea made clear.

"It's not really a plan anymore." Janet chuckled as Thea pushed her away as she stumbled over the table a little, spilling some drinks.

"What's going on over here?" Sean asked, walking over to the table as he saw a confrontation happening, spotting the blood on Dominic's shirt and the knife in Janet's hand, beginning to recognise Janet, "Hey, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"I'd go check on your wife." Janet nodded, backing away through the guests of dancing people, escaping out of sight whilst Sean ran out of the party, passing Kirsty on his way who had Mirren in her arms.

"Take her back to the room. Now." Sean said protectively as Kirsty looked on with worry, watching Sean run out of the party.

He ran through the lounge area and straight into the ladies bathroom.

"Jude." Sean burst into the ladies restroom.

"I… I can't get it off." Jude said, hands shaking as she tried rubbing the front of her wedding dress, lashing the water from the faucet towards her, cold tears running down her cheeks, not that she could feel them.

She couldn't comprehend what was going on or what was happening.

* * *

Meanwhile Cassie had stumbled outside, leaning over a guests car in the car park of the hotel, not sure where she was heading, slowly losing her consciousness bit by bit, leaving a trail of blood behind her, struggling to stay up as she finally collapsed on the ground.

Her eyes opened and closed, suddenly feeling someone pick her up into their arms, opening her eyes as wide as she could, not believing what she was seeing, assuming it was the side effects of dying.

"Hey, you stay with me." Theo said desperately, his hood up, keeping his hand on her side, pressed tightly as opened up the car he had access to, "Cassie, stay with me."


	98. Unfolding

**Unfolding**

* * *

"Where's Cassie? Where'd they take her?" Jude grabbed hold of Thea who came back into the wedding venue's main reception, "Where is she?"

"I-I don't know." Thea shook her head, walking back into the reception with Dominic, "You need to get out of that dress." She advised.

"Sean said he can't find mom and dad." Jude said as Thea grabbed her by the arm

"Yeah, I… I don't know, I don't know where they are." Thea shook her head, taking her sister towards the hotels rooms.

"I'm gonna go look for them." Dominic whispered to Thea who nodded, squeezing his hand and looking up at him before he ran off in the opposite direction to go help Sean find AJ and Punk, and to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Where is Sean?" Jude asked, her head all over the place as she looked around, even though Sean had told her after leaving the bathroom that he was going to look for AJ and Punk.

"He's off to look for mom and dad." Thea nodded, "Where's your room key?" She asked, approaching the honeymoon suite.

"I don't have it." Jude shook her head, "But… But Kirsty is in there with the kids." She nodded, remembering Sean telling her that Kirsty was with the kids, whilst Thea knocked on the room door.

They waited a minute before Kirsty opened up the door with eight month Mirren balanced on her hip

"Hey." Kirsty said with relief as Jude and Thea walked in.

"Oh, come here, baby." Jude sighed to herself, taking Mirren from Kirsty desperately, holding her close to her, completely forgetting about the blood down her dress, just desperate to hold her angel baby girl, "Momma's here, it's ok." She sighed, kissing Mirren's head.

"Where is everyone?" Kirsty asked worriedly as Thea closed the door over, leaning against it and taking a deep breath, shutting the danger out.

"Sean and Dominic are looking for my parents." Thea nodded to her, running her hands over her hair, "Where's the kids?" She asked, walking over to the couch area as Kirsty looked at her with confusion.

"What?" Kirsty shook her head.

"James and Sofia?" Thea questioned, turning to her and turning back to the rest of the room, walking around the corner where the bed was, noticing no one was there.

"I don't have them." Kirsty shook her head as Thea walked back into the seating area.

"What the hell are you talking about? Yes you do." Thea said. The thought of anything else wasn't possible.

"No, I just… I just had Mirren. I thought you and Dominic had the kids." Kirsty said as Jude looked over at Thea who had gone a white, almost grey colour.

"We don't have them. Dominic thinks they're with you." Thea said, never feeling as bad as she did right now, the pit of her stomach doing constant turns, feeling sick to her stomach.

"They're not with me." Kirsty shook her head.

"Oh my God." Thea placed her hands over her mouth.

"They'll still be in the hall." Kirsty nodded hopefully as Thea ran out of the hotel room, holding her dress up as she ran down the corridor as fast as she could, running all the way through the reception and into the party, looking around.

She felt like the room was suddenly spinning as she desperately tried to spot her children, "James!" Thea yelled loudly, "Sofia!" She called desperately, bumping into Dean, "Have you… Have you saw James or Sofia?" She asked her slightly drunk uncle.

"Yeah they were… they were dancing over there." Dean pointed around the dancefloor, unhelpfully to no fault of his own.

Thea continued looking, calling their names as her heart beat began to go rapid, feeling like the walls were closing in on her. It was one thing for them to be under attack, but not to have her children with her, in her safety, she felt like she was going to throw up.

"James!" Thea yelled loudly, looking under tables, "Sofia!" She called, suddenly bumping into Dominic.

"What are you doing?" Dominic asked her.

"I can't find the kids." Thea grabbed his arms as he looked at her.

"What? They're with Kirsty." Dominic was sure.

"No… no, she only took Mirren back. They're not in here!" Thea said, tears of panic and worry rising to the brim and pouring out without any control.

"W-What? No… no, they were… they were right here with Kirsty." Dominic shook his head in disbelief.

"They're not with her." Thea cried, "And they're not in here." She placed her hands in her hair, feeling like she couldn't breathe as Dominic stumbled back a little, placing his hand on the back of a chair, "Dominic." Thea cried, looking at him worriedly.

"Ok… Ok, you… you search the rooms, the bathrooms, any closets or stock rooms around here. I'll start outside." Dominic nodded, "Maybe… Maybe they're with your parents." He said, trying to stay positive even though he felt like throwing up.

"Where are my mom and dad?" Thea begged to know, "And Cassie? Jude… Jude is covered in blood and Cassie just… disappeared."

"We'll find them. We'll find them." Dominic said frantically, "Go… go, start looking." He shoved her lightly as Thea ran away out of the party, which to everyone else, was still going on as normal.

"Any sign of them?" Sean walked over to Dominic, "I've called the cops, they're on their way."

"The kids are missing. James and Sofia." Dominic told him, "And I… I don't know where Cassie went either." He said.

"I thought James and Sofia were with Kirsty." Sean shook his head.

"No, no she just took Mirren, she thought we were with them." Dominic shook his head in a panic as Sean ran his hand through his hair.

"Ok… ok, the cops are on their way. You go look for the kids outside, I'll… I'll try find Phil, April and Cassie." He said as Dominic nodded, splitting up from each other to go on search parties.

Dominic ran outside of the hotel, noticing on the ground the trail of blood down the steps and winding round the car park. He ran his hands through his hair, noticing the trail of blood stop in front of an empty car space.

"Fuck." Dominic gulped worriedly, "James!" He called desperately, running around the car park like a headless chicken, never being so worried sick in all his life, "Sofia!" He called.

* * *

Meanwhile Thea had ran into every closed door she could find, searching high and low in the hotel for her children, calling out their names desperately. She banged on every hotel room, disturbing guests and begging them to tell her if they'd seen two children. But none of them had.

She ran down to the basement, yelling out their names when in the most unlikely fashion, she heard her mother calling back.

"Thea!" AJ yelled from inside the basement closet.

"Mom?" Thea ran over to the closet door, turning the lock and opening it up.

"Oh, thank God." AJ sighed with relief, wrapping her arms around Thea tightly.

"What the hell are you guys doing in here?" Thea shook her head, so confused, her head spinning.

"My brother is here, he locked us in." AJ explained.

"Are you ok? Is everyone ok?" Punk asked, both he and AJ walking out of the closet.

"No… No, James and Sofia are missing." Thea cried as AJ and Punk looked at her, "And your mom is here and… and I think she hurt Cassie but we can't find her. And we couldn't find you guys either and… and Jude is in the room with Mirren but I can't find James or Sofia." She cried hysterically as AJ placed her hands over her mouth.

"Oh my God." AJ said, feeling her heart palpitating, everything she feared coming true. She knew being trapped away from everyone was her mother and brother's chance to attack, somehow.

"What do you mean you think she hurt Cassie? Where's Cassie?" Punk asked worriedly.

"I don't know, she… she bumped into Jude and I think she was bleeding, she was bleeding. Jude had blood all down her shirt and your mom had a knife." Thea tried to explain as best she could in her frantic state, "I can't find James or Sofia." She said in so much distress.

"Ok, ok… let's get out of here." Punk said, first and foremost, running up the stairs as Thea and AJ followed.

"Dominic is outside looking for the kids and I've searched everywhere in here. We thought… We thought Kirsty had them but she didn't." Thea explained.

"We'll find them." AJ assured her daughter, squeezing her hand tightly, "We'll find them." She promised, getting up the stairs and out of the basement, running back to the rooms and knocking on the honeymoon suite which Kirsty answered.

"You guys are here." Kirsty noticed with relief as AJ and Punk walked into the room where Jude was standing with Mirren in her arms, still in her now bloody wedding dress which Punk and AJ both noticed right away.

"Oh my God." AJ whispered.

"Thea, go find Dominic and keep looking for the kids. April, go with them." Punk nodded.

"Ok." AJ nodded, "Come on." She grabbed a hold of a very frantic and frozen Thea.

"Jude." Punk turned to Jude, "Where's Cassie?" Punk asked.

"I… I don't know." Jude shook her head tearfully, "I bumped into her on my way to the bathroom. I… I didn't think anything was wrong, I thought… I thought she was just giving me a hug or something… and then she left and I… I looked down and saw all the blood, and then… Janet came out of the bathroom with a knife that had blood on it." Jude shook her head, frozen with fear as Punk ran his hands over his face stressfully.

"So no one has saw Cassie?" Punk asked as Jude shook her head.

"Fucking hell." Punk took a deep breath, "Did anyone see where Janet or Rob went?" He asked Jude turning to Kirsty who shook her head, "Did anyone see anything?!" Punk yelled angrily, not meaning to as he watched Mirren begin to cry at his loud and angry voice.

"Dad." Jude scolded a little, placing her hand over the back of Mirren's head as Punk took a deep breath.

"Just… just stay here. Don't go anywhere. Lock the door behind me." Punk warned, running out of the hotel room and closing the door over, running down the corridor and out to help his family search for Cassie and the children.

* * *

"How is she doing? Is she ok? Is she gonna be ok?" Theo asked a nurse who walked by him as he paced in the waiting area. He was in some sweats and a hoodie where he still had his hood up, shielding himself. Not the typical cop he used to be.

"She's out of surgery. Stable for now but we'll know more when she wakes up. She had three blood transfusions. She lost… a lot." The nurse nodded to him, "We're keeping a close eye on her."

"Can I see her?" Theo asked desperately as she looked at him.

"Are you family?" She asked him as he looked down, rubbing his sweaty palms against his sweats.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm her brother." Theo shrugged as the nurse looked at him. She knew he was lying, but he could see how concerned he was.

"Down through those doors, fifth door down." The nurse directed him as Theo nodded.

"Thank you." Theo nodded, rushing down the hospital corridor, through the swing doors as he counted five rooms down, opening up the door and walking in where he saw Cassie lying in bed, machines and monitors bleeping around her as he noticed the oxygen tube around her nose.

He pushed his hood down, walking over to the bed slowly as he sighed to himself, grabbing out the chair from the side and sitting down by the bed.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." He muttered, reaching over and taking her hand as he sighed to himself, watching her chest move up and down slowly as she lay peacefully still.

It weighed him down every day, for almost a year, for having to leave the cruel and unfair way he did.

"Cass, I can't… I can't stay here with you." It killed him to say, "I can't… I can't let them get away. Not now." He shook his head, reaching over and brushing her hair from her face, "I'm gonna help your family." He nodded. Absence had truly made the heart grow fonder. He'd had to watch her from behind the shadows the past year, and he dreamed about the day he didn't have to hide. He didn't have to be the ache in her heart anymore. But right now, this wasn't over yet.

"Hang in there for me." Theo sighed, leaning over and kissing her head, sitting her hand down beside her as he backed out of the room and left the hospital.


	99. All Out

**All Out**

* * *

"They're not out here!" Dominic called, running up the car park to meet AJ, Thea and Punk who had arrived outside, "Any luck inside?" He begged, hoped.

"No, nothing." Thea cried hysterically as Dominic wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"You searched the whole car park?" Punk asked Dominic who nodded whilst AJ clasped her shaking hands over her mouth.

"Hey! I just got off the phone with the hospital." Sean ran over, "I called to see if there was any sign of the kids or Cassie… Cassie's there." He said as AJ placed her hand on her chest, turning to Punk who took a deep breath, "She was stabbed but… somehow she ended up in hospital." He shook his head.

"Well how is she? Is she… is she ok?" AJ asked desperately, tears streaming down her face.

"She's been out of surgery and… they said she's stable for now." Sean nodded as AJ sighed to herself, turning to Punk.

"They've gotta have them." AJ shook her head as Dominic and Thea looked at one another. There was no point in wishful thinking that their small children were going to toddle out from behind a door somewhere in the hotel.

"The cops are on their way. I've already gave them James and Sofia's descriptions, height, names, what they were wearing." Sean nodded, "Do you guys have any toys belonging to them? Teddy bears or something? The K-9 unit will be here so they can get the scent of the kids and… try follow it." Sean said, trying to do everything he could as a cop to help his family.

"Uh… yeah, yeah Sofia has a… she has a blanket." Thea nodded, drying her tears, "And James… he has a teddy bear, they're in the hotel room." She said.

"I'll get them." Dominic nodded to her.

"What are we supposed to do? I'm not… I'm not waiting around doing nothing." Thea shook her head, "If they have them, Janet and Rob, then… where would they be taking them? Why would they do this?" She questioned as no one answered, "I'm talking to you!" She yelled at her mother who looked across at her, "It's your mother!" Thea yelled.

"Thea, just… try stay calm." Punk placed his hand on her arm as she pushed him away.

"Don't touch me." Thea warned everyone as AJ looked at her.

"I don't know what they're doing here or why they would take James and Sofia." AJ said, "I don't." She shook her head as Thea ran her hands through her hair, watching as the cop cars pulled up outside the hotel. It all felt surreal.

"Where's Jude?" Sean asked Punk discreetly.

"In the room with Kirsty and Mirren." Punk nodded to him, "Is there CCTV in this place?" He wondered.

"I'm gonna go check." Sean nodded, running back into the hotel towards the reception area.

"Thea, come sit down." AJ advised, noticing her daughter looking near to fainting.

Thea shook her head, feeling physically sick, doubling over into the corner and throwing up as AJ sighed to herself, rushing over to Thea's side to be there for her whilst Punk watched Jake, the top police officer at the station approaching him.

"We already have a lead." Jake nodded to Punk.

"What? How can you already have a lead?" Punk questioned. Believe it or not, over the years, especially since Cassie had joined the force, he didn't feel like his back was up against the wall anymore when it came to cops. It helped in situations like this, for sure.

"Just got a cop who saw Janet and Rob with the two kids." Jake said.

"You're sure?" Punk questioned. He was preparing for a long search taking place throughout the night into the morning.

"I'm sure." Jake nodded, "Headed for the railway junction just off forty one." He explained directions.

"Why do I feel like you're ahead of this?" Punk asked him suspiciously.

"You really wanna waste time and talk about it?" Jake asked him as Punk shook his head, "We got cops on it right now. I need you all to stay put." He made clear, "Can you do that for me?" He asked as Thea looked over.

"Over my dead body." Thea shook her head, watching as Dominic ran back out of the hotel with Sofia's blanket and James' teddy bear, "You got keys?" She asked him as Dominic nodded.

"I will literally put you in handcuffs." Jake nodded.

"Shut the fuck up." Thea warned, "And get out of my way." She made clear as Punk groaned a little, watching Thea barge past Jake, headed to their car as Dominic followed.

Punk couldn't stand still. He couldn't let his daughter drive away into unknown, and neither could AJ. It was just the type of parents they'd always been.

Both of them, without saying anything to each other, ran to the car to get in with Thea and Dominic.

"Brooks!" Jake yelled angrily, watching the car reverse recklessly and speed off, "Alright, get on their ass! Make sure no one dies." Jake ordered the cops who had pulled up with him as they got back into their cars.

"Where the hell are they going?" Dominic shook his head, driving recklessly, running every red light as he put his foot down on the gas.

"I don't know why they're doing this." AJ shook her head. It was particularly hard for her to know her own mother was doing this, her own brother. People who claimed to want to protect her, was physically trying to tear her family apart in the most brutal way. It was impossible to understand.

"They're lunatics, that's why!" Thea concluded, not being able to sit still, leg shaking as she kept her eyes on the road which they sped through so quickly.

"Did he say forty one?" Dominic asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, watching Dominic turn the wheel off onto a side road near where the railway ran along, driving along the road until they spotted a car in the middle of the railway line.

"Oh my God." AJ gasped.

Dominic immediately stopped the car, getting out as he and Thea ran ahead towards the car sitting in the railway line. Punk and AJ followed behind quickly, stopping behind the tracks on the opposite side where they saw Rob sitting on the hood of the car whilst Janet stood in front.

"I'm gonna kill you." Thea pointed as Janet looked across at them, "Where are my kids?" She demanded to know.

"It's ok." Janet assured her, "They're sleeping." She pointed into the car where Dominic and Thea could see James and Sofia sleeping in the back of the car.

"What the hell are you doing?!" AJ yelled.

"I made it perfectly clear in all those phone calls I made, what I was going to do if my husband's death didn't get justice." Janet said.

"Just give me my kids." Thea cried helplessly, walking forward to foolishly step on the tracks as Rob lifted a gun and pointed it at her, causing Dominic to push Thea back behind him immediately.

"Stay back." Rob warned.

"Rob, what are you doing?!" AJ pleaded, "I'm your sister." She shook her head, "I-I haven't done anything wrong here. Why do you all insist on hurting me?" She questioned.

"Oh, April everything isn't about you." Janet snapped, "We've been trying our hardest to protect you."

"Protect me from what?!" AJ yelled, "My own family?"

"From him." Janet nodded to Punk who looked across at her.

"From me?" Punk nodded, "And what the hell have I done? Apart from take care of your daughter and love her. Well… apart from when you put me in prison, both times."

"Yeah, and you were meant to stay there." Janet hissed, "When you killed Joey, you were supposed to get caught and added time to your sentence. Life preferably." She nodded as Punk screwed his face up with confusion, "But someone let it fall through." She turned to Rob who rolled his eyes.

"I got let out early, alright?" Rob hissed at his mother.

"Wait, you… you were trying to set me up?" Punk questioned as AJ looked at her, shaking her head, "The eight years wasn't enough for you?"

"No… no, life was enough for me." Janet said, "Rob was supposed to be in there to set you up. Provoke you." She said, "But that… fell through." She said as Punk shook his head, running his hands through his hair where his mind was frying.

"Is this because of my mom?" Punk looked up, staring across at her, "Because of debts that she owed you, her and my dad?" He wondered.

"Sam?" Janet chuckled, "You know, she was a good friend to me. Liability, but… a good friend." She nodded, "Shame what happened to her with the… the drink and the drugs." She nodded.

"Yeah, because of you." Punk nodded, "Why… Why am I not surprised? I met Rio, from meeting you." He said, "All this shit, it always comes from you, and your family. Your fucked up family." He said as Janet smiled a little, looking across at him.

"Rio was just a boy when we found him." Janet nodded, "Watched him grow into something marvellous. He took over our business when we left to Puerto Rico. Gave him a chance to expand."

"Marvellous?" Punk chuckled sadistically, "He tried to rape April." He said, "He tried to destroy my entire family but I guess… I guess that makes sense that you'd praise him." He nodded as Janet shrugged.

"Rio let himself down in the end. Nothing more, nothing less." Janet shrugged.

"What the hell is this about?" Punk shook his head, "First your husband comes here and tries to shoot me and my three kids, now this? You stab Cassie, you take my grandchildren… what are you getting from this?" He shook his head.

"I want my business back." Janet nodded, "But… I'm running low on family members, obviously, so… I need to recruit." She said.

"You're dead." Thea warned, "You're seriously dead."

"Oh, honey you're welcomed to join." Janet assured her.

"And why do you want me dead so much?" Punk questioned, "Cause I know it ain't just so you can get to April."

"You know how when you two were younger, and April wanted to sell Rio out to the cops?" Janet asked as Punk and AJ looked at her, "Well, same thing happened to me and Robert. Only… it was your mom who tried to sell us out. We were business partners." She nodded, "Bet you didn't know that, huh?" She smiled.

"No… No, I thought… I thought my mom and dad were just customers?" Punk shook his head.

"No, they ran the business with us until they thought they were higher and better. Your dad split, figured that was the best way to get out. Cut all contact with us. Then your mother tried to turn us into the cops but it didn't work out. Once she realised we found out, she tried to get out of town, contacted your dad and… they ended up in quite the scuffle, didn't they?" She nodded, "Not that it really means anything but… you two met way before you started dating." She assured them, "Gosh, you had to have been… four or five." She smiled, "Just after your dad went to prison."

"_Samantha!" Janet called, walking into the house with her four year old daughter, practically dragging her in the door as four year old AJ stood close to her, "Samantha!" She called in a chirpy voice._

"_What?" Sam appeared from out of the living room and into the hallway._

"_I heard about poor Daniel. Life in prison, huh? Sucks to be him." Janet chuckled a little, walking on down the hallway as Sam watched her, turning to the little girl standing by the door, looking scared._

"_It's ok, sweetie." Sam nodded to her as AJ stood in the corner quietly._

"_Sam!" Janet yelled as Sam turned around, rolling her eyes as she walked through the house and into the kitchen._

"_What? What the hell do you want?" Sam shook her head._

"_You really don't know how bad you hurt me, do you?" Janet folded her arms as Sam looked at her, "Trying to… sell me out like that. I thought we were like sisters." She shook her head._

"_I have a family. I couldn't… I couldn't do it anymore and you wouldn't let me out." Sam said._

"_I know what's best for you, that's why." Janet nodded as Sam looked at her._

"_What do you want from me now? Dan is gone. It's… It's my fault he's in prison. I have to live with that now so… if you were looking to see me hurt, you got it." Sam shook her head, rubbing her forehead stressfully._

"_Yeah, and that could have been me and Robert. Rotting away in prison." Janet said._

"_Like you don't deserve it." Sam spat as Janet smiled a little._

"_What happened to us, Sam?" Janet hummed, "Hmm? What changed?"_

"_I was being a dumb kid who needed money and a little bit of a thrill. Now I have two boys who have no father, and I don't know what to do. You wanted to make that business your life-"_

"_Yeah, and I will." Janet shrugged, "Now, speaking of you not knowing what to do… I wouldn't go making any plans just yet." She nodded, "Since you owe me huge, I have… let's say a job proposal, only… you have to accept or I'll kill you… or I'll take your sons." She said as Sam gulped, looking across at her._

"_What do you mean a job proposal?" Sam questioned._

"_Well I have some suppliers who… I could save a lot of cash by offering them something else." Janet said as Sam looked at her, "You're a pretty, young girl. You know what you're doing. How to handle yourself."_

"_You can't be serious." Sam laughed as Janet looked across at her._

"_Oh, but I am." Janet nodded as Sam looked at her in horror._

_Meanwhile four year old AJ was still standing in the corner by the door. Overalls on with pigtails in her dark hair, standing as close in the corner as she could, frightened to be in yet another foreign place her mother had taken her to._

_And then, she saw someone just like her, someone the same height as her. A little person just like her._

"_Who are you?" Four year old Phil asked forwardly as he came out from the living room, looking over at the little girl who didn't say anything, "Can't you speak?" He asked cheekily as AJ narrowed her brows at him._

"_I'm April." AJ said quietly as Punk looked at her, "Who are you?" She asked childishly, creeping out a little from the corner as she grew more comfortable._

"_Come on, April. Let's go." Janet stormed through the hallway, grabbing AJ by the wrist, not caring to check if it was her hand, dragging her out of the house and slamming the door shut behind as Punk frowned a little, looking back to the kitchen where he saw his mother sitting at the table crying._

"I… I don't remember." Punk shook his head, turning to AJ who shook her head in agreement.

"Well, you were little." Janet waved her hand.

"So, this is what? You still punishing my mom by… by coming for me?" Punk asked.

"Yes and… it's been hard these years watching April fall in love with the son of two rats. I mean, out of all the guys in the world?" Janet rolled her eyes.

"I don't care about any of this." Thea cried truthfully as they turned to her, "Give me my children." She said, stepping onto the tracks as Rob pointed the gun at her.

"Get back or I'll-" Dominic was cut off as a bullet went through his side, a loud gun shut firing through the air as Punk and AJ both turned around.

What they were expecting to see was Jake, any cop, maybe Sean, but… instead, they saw who they could only describe as a ghost.

"Theo?" Punk screwed his face up, "What… huh?" He shook his head.

"Get back." Theo warned them.

"How are you… what is going on?" Punk shook his head. There was only so much the brain could comprehend in one go.

"Rob, baby are you ok?" Janet crouched down, checking on her son, dragging him over to the side of the railway on the opposite end as quickly as she could, beginning to hear the sound of a train coming.

"Dominic." Thea grabbed Dominic's arm worriedly.

"Just stay there." Theo told them all, running over the tracks and towards the car, trying to open the car door which was locked, "Unlock the car!" Theo yelled over at Janet, trying to elbow the glass of the window as best he could.

"Dominic, the train." Thea cried, listening and watching as the train got closer, no chance of stopping it on it's tracks.

Dominic began to move forward when Punk ran out, "No, stay there." Punk warned Dominic, not bearing to see anyone else in danger, running out onto the tracks.

"Phil!" AJ yelled worriedly as Punk ran over to the car, trying to smash the car window in, seeing the train lights getting brighter as it came further towards them.

He successfully smashed the window, leaning in and grabbing James out who was sleeping, holding him in his arms.

Theo struggled to get the window smashed on his side, but eventually getting it as he reached in and pulled Sofia out, noticing the train practically right in front of them.

"No!" Thea yelled hysterically, trying to run over to her children as Dominic grabbed her in equal distress.

"Phil." AJ placed her hands over her mouth, quickly turning around as she heard the train whiz by, crashing into the car and pulling it down the track, feeling her body numb as she couldn't bear to look.

Thea watched as the train continued to go by, carriage after carriage, crying to herself, drowning in never ending tears as she couldn't see what happened.

The train eventually passed whilst Thea caught eyes on Punk and Theo on the other end of the line with the kids. She cried even more with relief, her and Dominic running over the tracks to get to them desperately whilst AJ turned around in disbelief. She thought the train got so close that it wasn't possible, but as she turned around she saw her husband, alive and holding James whilst Theo stood beside with Sofia.

She sighed with relief, running over to her family whilst cops began to pull up one by one. She looked over where her mother had pulled her brother to, noticing they were both gone.


	100. Ghost

**Ghost**

* * *

"Jude." Sean knocked on the bathroom door of the honeymoon suite, "Jude, it's just me, you can open up." He sighed, leaning his forehead against the door tiredly. All the running around and panicking had really taken the wind out of his sails.

"She's not opening up." Kirsty shook her head as Sean looked over at her, "I've been trying all night." She said.

"Is Mirren ok?" Sean asked, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, looking over at Kirsty.

"She's fine. She's fast asleep." Kirsty said as Sean nodded.

"I got a text from Phil. They're all safe. They got the kids." Sean nodded, "The details around it, I'm not sure of but… good enough for me." He sighed as Kirsty nodded.

"And Cassie?" Kirsty asked.

"She's in hospital, stable for now." Sean said as Kirsty nodded, "How long has she been in there?"

"Basically all night. I heard the shower on earlier so… I think the dress is off." Kirsty said.

"Never to be seen again." Sean sighed to himself, "I hate myself for saying it but… tonight of all nights?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I know." Kirsty said, "The important thing is everyone is safe, and we'll hear how Cassie is doing. But… it was still your wedding night. It still is." She said, "She was… She was so happy." She shook her head as Sean nodded.

"I know in the grand scheme of things it's… it's just a relief everyone is ok, and everyone is safe, but… I didn't think I'd be spending my wedding night like this." He shook his head.

"No, I don't think anyone did." Kirsty said as Sean sighed to himself.

"Look, you can go now. You don't gotta stay around. You should get some sleep." He suggested.

"I don't mind staying." Kirsty said.

"No, really… it's ok." Sean said, "I'll wait on her coming out, when she decides to." He nodded.

Ok." Kirsty said, "I'm just a few rooms down, if you need anything let me know." She said as Sean nodded, watching her pick up her purse and leave the room as he walked back over to the bathroom, knocking at the door again.

"Jude, it's just me in the room now, ok? Just let me in, I wanna talk to you." He sighed.

Meanwhile Jude was sat in the shower floor, hugging her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her kneecaps as she looked over at her dress lying on the floor. She wondered how something that made her feel so good and special, suddenly became something she could barely look at.

"Just leave me alone." Jude said to Sean.

"Please just let me in." Sean said, "This is still our wedding night, Jude."

"Like that even means anything." Jude shook her head, running her hand through her wet hair. Her make-up fully off, her shoes thrown into the corner of the bathroom, the clips from her hair thrown into the trash can beside the toilet.

She was so grateful to know her family was safe, and she felt awful for thinking about herself in this situation, but she couldn't help it. She was tired. Tired of it all.

"Jude, please just let me in." Sean said as Jude sighed to herself, standing up in the shower, grabbing the towel from the rack as she wrapped it around her, walking over to the bathroom door and unlocking it as she heard Sean immediately walk in.

"Sorry if I'm not… in the mood to celebrate." She shrugged, sitting down on the toilet seat as Sean watched her.

"It's ok." He shook his head, looking over at her, noticing her wedding dress carelessly bunched up on the floor, her veil sitting in the wet sink, shoes thrown into the corner. It definitely wasn't the wedding night they were hoping for or expecting.

"How's Cassie?" Jude asked sincerely.

"Uh…. Stable." Sean nodded, "I think your parents are off to visit her right now. And the kids are safe." He said as Jude nodded.

"That's good." Jude nodded as Sean walked over, crouching down in front of her as she looked at him.

"I'm sorry, I know this… this isn't what we expected." He said.

"Shame on us." Jude looked at him, "It's just my family… being my family." She shrugged as Sean looked at her.

"No, this is… this is no one's fault." Sean shook his head, knowing she didn't mean that.

"It's never gonna change." Jude stood up, "If we're smart, we'd get the hell out of here." She shook her head, walking out of the bathroom as Sean sighed to himself, running his hand through his hair.

* * *

"You gonna tell me how the hell you're alive? There's a sentence that rarely comes out my mouth." Punk shook his head, standing outside Cassie's hospital room with Theo whilst AJ was inside with Thea, Dominic and the sleeping kids.

"I'd really like to explain it all to Cassie first, if that's ok with you." Theo nodded to him as Punk looked across at him, nodding slowly.

"Fair enough." Punk said, "I mean… I'm assuming it's some undercover cop bullshit, right?" he said as Theo smiled a little.

"Undercover cop bullshit? Yeah, something like that." Theo nodded.

"She's gonna have a heart attack when she sees you." Punk nodded as Theo sighed nervously, "Broke her heart, losing you." He cared to tell him, "Wasn't enjoyable to see." He said, unhappily. He hated feeling like his daughter's heart had been broken for nothing. He was of course overjoyed that Theo's life hadn't been taken like they all thought. Equally confused by it all.

"Wasn't easy for me either. I didn't want to do that to her." Theo shook his head, "But… I didn't have a choice, really." He said.

"How did you find her? Tonight?" Punk asked him.

"I was tracking Janet and Rob. Found out about the wedding. Jude's wedding. Figured that was their playing field. Got there too late, found Cassie outside the hotel bleeding out. I chose to take her to the hospital instead of staying and trying to find Janet and Rob. I don't feel bad about it." He said truthfully, looking through the room window as he saw Cassie, still in the same place she was when he last saw her.

"Well… everyone is safe." Punk nodded to him, "I mean… I wouldn't have been able to get both of the kids in time." He said truthfully, "Thank you." He said as Theo looked at him.

Truthfully, he didn't know Theo. In fact, the very few encounters he had with him before he supposedly died, weren't very good ones. All he knew was that he meant a great deal to his daughter.

"Just doing my job." Theo nodded, "Not very well, I guess. Janet and Rob got away." He shook his head angrily.

"They'll catch them." Punk nodded, "They can't go very far, especially not with Rob wounded."

"Yeah, that's true." Theo agreed, "I've been looking into them for a while now. Almost a year. Since I died." He rolled his eyes at the saying, "They're extremely bad people. I don't know how much you know, how much your wife knows… it's a lot of scary stuff."

"Yeah, so I'm starting to realise." Punk nodded.

He'd heard a lot tonight which in simple terms made sense. Things about his mother, a different perspective he could see on her. And what seemed to be at the very root of all of his problems, all of the bad business he'd ever got involved with, all the time he'd done in prison, it all linked back to the Mendez family. That was pretty evident now more than ever.

"I left some stuff in my drawer at work deliberately, hoping Cass would look into it further but… I don't think she ever did." Theo shook his head.

"She did. She… told me all about the car accident, the hidden files that covered up the fact it was actually my mom. Turns out they were trying to get away from Janet and Robert that night. My mom and dad knew they were onto them after they tried selling them to the cops… and it all backfired." Punk concluded as Theo nodded, watching as AJ came out of the hospital room.

"How's she doing?" Punk asked his wife.

"Still the same." AJ nodded tiredly. It had been an emotional night for sure.

"She'll wake soon." Theo nodded confidently as AJ smiled softly.

"I'm gonna go get a coffee." AJ said tiredly as Punk nodded.

"I'll come with." Punk rubbed her back softly.

"Hey, I think we're gonna get home." Thea walked out of the room holding Sofia in her arms. She was white as a ghost, physically and emotionally drained after what she could only describe as a horrific night for both her and Dominic. Neither would let go of their children.

"Yeah, you need to sleep." AJ nodded, rubbing her daughter's arm, "Get them home safe and sound." She cupped the back of Sofia's head as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, we're gonna go." Thea nodded tiredly, turning to Theo and smiling, "I… I don't know what to say." She shook her head, "Thank you." She said sincerely as Theo nodded.

"We owe you… everything." Dominic nodded to Theo who shook his head.

"No,…" He shook his head, "Just get them home safe. Take it easy." Theo said as they nodded.

"Super glad you're not dead." Thea nodded to him, in typical Thea fashion, casing Theo to chuckle.

"We'll walk you out." Punk nodded to Thea and Dominic, who he could see were physically exhausted, his heart aching for them after what they had gone through tonight on an emotional level.

Theo watched as they left the corridor, walking on into Cassie's room and making his way over to the bed, sitting down on the chair by the side of the bed, happy and content to see her again.

"Been a crazy night, Cass." Theo shook his head, taking her hand in his, "The only thing getting me through all this craziness is knowing I'd get to sit in a bar with you soon, enjoy a cold one and listen to you tell me how much you hate love." He smiled to himself, "And I know if you were awake right now you'd tell me not to be so cocky." He chuckled to himself, "But I am ridiculously in love with you." He shook his head.

He sat with her for a few minutes, holding her hand in his until he began to feel it move, looking up at her as he saw her grumble a little, her eyes twitching and beginning to open as he gulped nervously. He couldn't predict what she was going to say or do. He didn't know if she'd pull him close or push him away. Either way he understood.

"Cassie?" Theo said softly, watching her eyes opening and adjusting to the room, latching onto his as she just stared at him, her brain trying to take in who she was seeing.

"Am I dead?" Cassie whispered. It was really the only explanation. Otherwise she was hallucinating, very badly.

"Not dead." Theo smiled a little as she looked at him with confusion.

"You… You aren't here." Cassie grumbled, taking her hand from his slowly, staring at him with so much confusion, "Am I… Am I between life and death? Are you… Are you gonna make me choose?" She croaked as he chuckled a little, shaking his head and smiling. Yeah, he was definitely in love with her.

"You're not dead. You're not… almost dead." Theo clarified as she looked at him, shaking her head.

"W-What? What is going on?" She shook her head, not believing her eyes.

"I uh… I have a lot of explaining to do." Theo nodded as Cassie just stared through him. She couldn't believe it. She dared anyone could believe a loved one, whom they buried and had to come to terms with leaving behind, had come back from the dead. And her weak and weary brain couldn't' handle such confusion right now.

"You're not here." Cassie whispered in disbelief.

"I am." Theo nodded, taking her hand, "I'm here." He assured her as she looked at him, running her hand up his arm, tears in her eyes as she tried grasp how this was even possible.

"H-How is this happening?" She whispered, a lump in her throat.

"I'll tell you everything." Theo promised.


	101. Finished

**Finished**

* * *

"How is this happening?" Cassie whispered, looking at Theo sat by the bed. Her head couldn't process it. She knew she just had to be dreaming, or she had to be dead.

"I'm gonna explain everything." Theo nodded, "To you first, before anyone else." He made clear as she stared at him, "How are you feeling?" He asked, first and foremost.

"I-I don't know." Cassie shook her head, starting to get a little distressed, trying to sit up in bed but feeling the pain of her wounded side weighing her down.

"Hey, careful." Theo said with concern, "Here, let me move the bed frame up." He said, leaning over her to press the buttons on the other side as Cassie looked at him, lifting her hand and poking his cheek as Theo chuckled.

"I don't understand." Cassie said.

"I promise you, I'm here." Theo assured her, moving the bed up a little so she could sit up properly, "You ok? You want me to get a doctor first?" He asked her.

"No, sit." Cassie said suspiciously. It was just unbelievable.

"Ok." Theo nodded, sitting back down by the bed, "I'll explain everything."

"You were… You were dead." Cassie shook her head, "I watched you. I… held you. You were gone." She shook her head. She hadn't only lost him, but he had physically slipped away in her arms that night at the docks. It was hard to believe that he really wasn't dead after all.

"I did get shot that night." Theo confirmed, "Obviously. But it was a graze at my ribs." He said, "Once they took me away I was put into hiding for a little bit." He nodded, "Only my mom knew."

"Why? Why were you put into hiding?" Cassie questioned.

"I was going undercover to Puerto Rico for a little while." Theo said, "I was watching your mom's family. Who, I'll be honest, I don't think you or your family grasp just how dangerous they are." He said, "They were still running business here and… when your mom got into that car accident, they took off and came back here. I knew they were up to something. Had to do my homework on it all. I was doing my homework whilst we were together actually-"

"Excuse me?" Cassie shook her head, "So you… you used me?" Cassie looked at him.

"No, I don't mean like that. I was doing it in my own time." Theo assured her, "And I left some stuff behind in my drawers, hoped that you'd look into it but… I guess you only got so far." He said.

"So what exactly were you trying to do?" Cassie asked him.

"I was trying to see what strings they were pulling. Who they were still working with. What their moves were. When Robert was killed, I knew it was about to get worse." He said, "So Jake had me monitoring their every move-"

"Jake knew?" Cassie whispered to herself, wondering how her boss could look her in the eyes the way he did, knowing Theo was still alive.

"We had to do this. It was the only way I could get close to them without them thinking cops were following them." Theo said, "They're dangerous people. Every business tie your mom and dad have had… Rio, Marina, even that guy Austin who was dealing for Thea when she was younger… they all somehow connect to the Mendez family, even if they lived here then or not." He said.

"You think you have my family all figured out?" Cassie looked at him. She couldn't believe this. She was hurt that her heart had been toyed with in the process of all this mess.

"I don't, I'm… I'm just trying to do my job." Theo said, "That whole situation with Sam and Daniel… they were trying to get away from The Mendez family. Sam tried to get them arrested and it blew up in her face, they found out and they… they trafficked her to get more money, to punish her." He shook his head, "It's fucked up, Cassie."

"Is that why they hated my dad?" Cassie asked, "Because of Sam and Daniel trying to turn them in?" He asked as Theo nodded.

"And, since I've been following Janet around these past few months, she's in business again, and she's… she still puts your mom's name on things. I reckon she hates your dad because… she wants your mom." Theo shrugged, "And if we didn't stop her tonight, she probably would have taken the kids-"

"The kids?" Cassie looked at him, "What? What happened to the kids?" She shook her head as Theo sighed to himself.

"Janet and Rob took James and Sofia from the party. But they're safe, we got them back and they're ok." He assured her as Cassie sighed to herself, rolling her head back on the pillow, "I shot Rob and… well they got away, but we'll find them." He nodded as Cassie sighed to herself.

"I can't believe all this time you've been out there and I've been… breaking my heart over you." She looked at him, "Regretting all the things I couldn't say to you." She shook her head.

"And I'm sorry. I never wanted to do this. When I signed on for it, we weren't that close, and then we got close and… I had to do it. I'm sorry." He shook his head as she looked at him.

"I want you to get out." Cassie nodded. She just couldn't handle it. It was too much, and she was in too much physical pain.

"Cassie, please-"

"No, just leave me alone." Cassie shook her head as Theo sighed to himself, looking across at her.

"Ok… Ok." Theo put his hands up, doing what she wished as he stood up, watching her deliberately not looking at him, "I'm sorry." He shook his head.

"Just go." Cassie shook her head, tears running down her cheeks as Theo sighed, slipping out of the room to leave her alone as she wished.

* * *

"So we… met?" AJ asked, looking across at her husband, sitting in the hospital cafeteria, finding a second to themselves, to find some sort of calm for a minute.

"I don't remember." Punk admitted truthfully. He couldn't think back to his four year old brain and remember meeting his wife, who was also four. It just wasn't realistic.

"Neither do I." AJ shook her head, struggling to place the memory, "I do remember my mom used to drag me around to different houses for whatever reasons but… I never thought I was in yours." She said, a little taken back by the fact she had potentially met her husband, way before high school and their teenage years.

"I wonder if we spoke to each other." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"I'm really trying not think about all of this." AJ admitted as Punk looked across at her, "It's like… everything is always linked back to my family. Both your prison sentences, Rio, Marina, the things that happened with your parents, even what happened with you in prison was to do with them." She shook her head as Punk nodded.

"I can't stop thinking about my mom." Punk said truthfully as AJ nodded, "I thought she got into drug debts and chose to… pay it off in that way." He shook his head, "I know she's had her choice words for us in the past but… I can't get her out of my head." He admitted.

"I know. Me neither." AJ said, "And how the hell is Theo alive?" She shook her head.

"Doing some undercover cop stuff, no doubt to do with your family. Explains why he was at the wedding and found Cassie." Punk said, "Glad he did." He mumbled.

"I just… I don't know what to think. My head is so messed up right now." She admitted as Punk nodded, "Do you really think that's why they have such an issue with you? Because of their beef with your parents?"

"Yeah, I mean it makes sense, in lunatic terms." Punk rolled his eyes.

"I don't even see them as my family. They're just strangers trying to hurt us." AJ realised. To say she looked at her mother and saw a mother was a lie. She saw a very dangerous, evil stranger who had caused her family pain and grief. And she barely even recognised her brother. That wasn't her family.

"They won't get far with Rob shot up." Punk said as AJ nodded.

"We should go back and see how Cassie is." AJ suggested as Punk nodded.

"Yeah, let's go." He stood up from the table, taking her hand and leaving the cafeteria.

* * *

"Jude, what are you doing?" Sean asked, watching his new wife packing her bags on their untouched bed in the honeymoon suite.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Jude asked as he looked at her, "We're leaving."

"To go where? Home?" Sean asked.

"Yeah." Jude nodded, "And then when we're getting out of here."

"To where? Where are we going?" Sean asked.

"Anywhere but here." Jude said desperately, "New York. I went there when I was younger. As an artist, there's so much job opportunity for me. And you could ask for a transfer. I mean… you could work for the NYPD." She nodded.

"So we're going home and then we're moving to New York?" Sean clarified with confusion.

"Look, I don't care where we go, as long as it's far away from here, and far away from my family." Jude nodded.

"Jude, I know you don't mean that." Sean said.

"Look at us." Jude said angrily. She was in some shorts and t-shirt, her hair was wet from the shower whilst Sean was in his shirt and pants, "This was our wedding day." She reminded him.

"Yeah I know that but… I don't think this was your family's fault. I know every single one of them wanted us to have the perfect day. And we still did-"

"Oh, please this is all I'm gonna remember my wedding day as. My dress has blood all over it." Jude said, shaking her head, "I'm sick of it. I was held at gunpoint when I was seven months pregnant. I was raped because of my parents mistakes and my sister's ex. I am finished with this family." Jude made clear as Sean looked at her, noticing she was being deadly serious.

"You can't blame them for those things." Sean said.

"I can and I do." Jude said, "I want Mirren nowhere near any of this. James and Sofia were taken tonight. That could have been her." She pointed over to the travel crib where Mirren was sleeping peacefully, "Do you really wanna let it get to that?" She asked. She truly felt like she'd reached breaking point.

"No, but I don't think we need to move state. You're just upset, I am too. This wasn't the night we hoped for but… everyone is safe-"

"It's beyond that now." Jude shook her head, "I don't want my daughter growing up around stuff like this. Hell, I don't want us around it. I'm sick of it." She said as he looked across at her.

"So what Jude? You're gonna cut off contact with your entire family?" Sean shook his head.

"No… I just… I just want away. Maybe I just become the daughter who sees their family at Christmas and… and Thanksgiving." She shrugged.

"And what about Mirren? She's not gonna see her grandparents? Her aunts and cousins? My family?" Sean questioned, "You'll wake up in the morning, and you'll feel completely different. You're just upset right now. And you have every right to be. I'm upset about it."

"I'm not just upset. I'm done with it." Jude assured him, "And I'll be with it in the morning too. Doesn't it sound good just to get away? Get a house in some new place that we don't know. Just be on our own, away from all this shit."

"Yeah, but it also doesn't sound like the Jude I know." Sean said, "The Jude who loves spending time with her sisters, and her mom and dad." He said as Jude shook her head, continuing to pack her bags.

"Yeah well I got my own family to think about now." Jude said, "I want better for us. For Mirren." She told him, "And staying around here doesn't feel like an option anymore."

"You're serious?" Sean realised.

"Deadly." Jude nodded, "Come on, I know you feel the same as I do." She said.

"Yeah, I don't want to be around stuff like this but… I also know that us taking off and leaving would kill your family. They're always there for us."

"Yeah, I know that… but we need to start thinking about us now, and Mirren, and what we want our lives to be." Jude said as he looked across at her, "My family will get over it." She said coldly, walking off to the bathroom to get her things to put in the suitcase as Sean sighed to himself, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He was trying to be a voice of reason for Jude right now, but everything she was saying was true.


	102. Most Vulnerable

**Most Vulnerable**

* * *

"Hey, you're awake." AJ smiled softly, walking into the hospital room where Cassie was.

"How you feeling?" Punk asked, so glad to see his daughter's eyes opened, and to see her stable, as stable as she could be right now.

"Theo's alive." She shook her head, her mind still spinning, looking on at her parents in disbelief. The information just wouldn't digest at all.

"I know, baby." AJ nodded, "We know." She said, sitting down at the side of the bed, rubbing Cassie's arm softly, "Did he… explain to you what's going on with him? He wouldn't talk to us until… until he told you." She smiled softly.

"He did but I wasn't paying attention." Cassie realised, "I can't believe he's alive." She shook her head, looking at her mother in awe, tears in her eyes.

"Neither can we." Punk assured her.

"He said something about… having to go undercover to track your family." She told her mother, "So that they didn't think a cop was watching them." She nodded.

"Yeah, sounds like he was looking into it all." Punk nodded.

"Is everyone ok?" Cassie asked them.

"Yeah, we're all ok." AJ nodded, "Thea and Dominic have just taken the kids home. Jude and Sean are at the hotel with Mirren." She said, "And we're here." She assured her daughter, cupping her cheek as Cassie sighed.

"I should have done more." Cassie said, feeling like she'd let herself down as a cop.

"Cassie, she stabbed you." Punk said, "There was nothing you could do. Please don't think that way." He said.

"Where is she?" Cassie questioned.

"We don't know. The cops are out looking for her and Rob right now. Rob was shot so… doubt they'll get far." AJ nodded hopefully.

"Theo helped us." Punk said, "Helped save Sofia and James. Without him there I… I don't know how it would have went." He said. He thought it was important she knew that.

"But he was dead." Cassie whispered, "I watched him die. We all did." She said as Punk nodded slowly.

"He obviously had to keep it legit. Make sure no one knew a thing." Punk said, "I'm sure he didn't want to hurt you like that." He said.

"Where did he go?" AJ asked.

"I don't know. I told him to go. I couldn't.. I couldn't handle it." Cassie said.

"You just get some rest." Punk nodded, "Have you spoken to a doctor?" He asked her.

"Yeah, one came in earlier. Told me I'd be in here for at least a week probably, to avoid my stitches ripping and any possible infection." She shook her head.

"We'll be here every day." AJ assured her, stroking her hand down her hair motherly.

"Is Jude ok?" Cassie wondered, "God, this was her day." She sighed to herself sadly.

"We… haven't spoken to her yet." AJ realised, "But she's safe." She nodded. Safe started to sound like it really wasn't enough anymore.

"Close your eyes and get some sleep." Punk nodded, noticing how exhausted Cassie looked, "We'll be right here." He promised, leaning over and kissing her head as Cassie drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"I don't wanna leave their side." Thea shook her head, crouched down by her bed where they'd put James and Sofia in after they got home. Sofia was still in her little dress and James still had his shirt and pants on. Thea just couldn't find it in herself to part ways from them. Not after tonight.

"They're safe now." Dominic assured her, and himself.

"I hope they find her." Thea gritted her teeth angrily as Dominic nodded.

"They will." Dominic said, watching Thea brush her hand through James' hair softly, watching them as they slept, "Come on, we should let them sleep." He placed his hand on Thea's shoulder as she sighed, nodding and standing up straight, hugging into her husband as Dominic pulled her in tightly.

"I was so scared tonight." Thea said as Dominic ran his hand down her hair soothingly.

"Me too." Dominic took a deep breath, looking over at the kids, so grateful they were safe and sound in their home.

"I've been scared before but not like that." Thea shook her head, "I still feel scared, and I know they're ok now." She said. The feeling just wouldn't budge. She was so overwhelmed by it all.

"It'll ease off." Dominic nodded, rubbing her back softly as she hugged into him for comfort.

"I hope she burns in hell." Thea spat. The thought of anyone putting their hands on her babies, let alone taking them straight from her was sickening, and she couldn't shift the feeling of worry at all.

"Come on, let's go downstairs." Dominic nodded as Thea turned around, looking at James and Sofia, keeping her eyes on them as she walked out of the room, leaving the door open as they headed downstairs.

They headed into the kitchen where Thea picked her phone up, "Cassie is awake." She nodded, seeing the text from her mother, "She's doing ok. Shook up about Theo." She nodded, sitting the phone down.

"How is he even here?" Dominic shook his head.

"I don't know but… I'm glad he was. I thought…" She placed her hand on her chest, feeling physically sick, "When that train was coming…" She shook her head.

"Don't." Dominic pleaded as she took a deep breath.

"All I wanted was to run over. I would have if you didn't hold me back." Thea realised, "I didn't think they were gonna make it." She shook her head, "Them. My dad." She sighed, rubbing her forehead stressfully.

"Well they did." Dominic nodded, "And they're safe." He said as Thea nodded, "Thea, this isn't… this isn't even anything to do with us anymore." He shook his head, "And yet we're still getting wrapped up in things." He said, "This is between your parents and their parents. And somehow our kids got used tonight as bait." He said as Thea looked across at him.

"I know." Thea sighed, "I'm so tired of it. I'm tired of hearing the same things over and over again. My mom's family are at the root of everything. And what they did to Sam…" She shook her head, "The way they've targeted my dad and… put him in prison, both times." She shook her head, "If I was my mom, I'd kill her." She said bluntly as Dominic looked across at her.

"Your mom looks pretty exhausted by it all too." Dominic nodded.

"Everyone's exhausted, Dominic." Thea said, "When's it gonna end? When will I feel like my kids are safe?" She questioned, "It's always us. It's always me and my sisters. Rio shot me. Jackson raped Jude. Janet just stabbed Cassie." She said, "What next?" She shook her head as Dominic sighed to himself.

"It's not your mom and dad's fault." Dominic shook his head.

"I know it isn't, but what if us all being together, something I thought was better, is actually the thing that makes us vulnerable?" She shrugged as Dominic looked at her.

"Look, don't go thinking too much into it right now. We need our family around us right now." Dominic said, "This whole thing has to come to blows soon enough. They're gonna find Janet and Rob, and throw their asses are going to jail." He nodded, "It's pretty much cutting the head of the snake, right?" He gathered as Thea nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." Thea nodded, "I just feel bad for my parents. They've dealt with this for too long. They deserve better than this." She sighed, "All they've ever done is try to protect us from it and now it's almost like it's surpassing them." She said, "I want better for them. I want better for all of us." She said as Dominic nodded.

"I do too." Dominic said, "It's gonna get better. They'll find Janet and Rob. After that, it seems like there's nothing else beyond that." He figured.

"Yeah, that's true." Thea nodded.

"Cause there was always something. If it wasn't Jackson, it was Rio, and if it wasn't Rio, it was Marina… if it's not your mom's family… then there's no one else. That's it." Dominic said as Thea nodded.

"It just sucks so bad." She sighed, wrapping her arms around him tightly as he nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Dominic nodded, kissing her head and holding her tightly.

"I can deal with things affecting me but… when it comes to the kids." She shook her head. It wasn't an option.

"Yeah, I know." Dominic agreed, "We'll get through it." He promised her.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the hotel, Sean had managed to convince Jude to stay at the hotel for the night. Mirren was already sleeping and settled, and it was practically the middle of the night.

They lay in the large bed, Jude curled into him, both unable to sleep. She had visions of what their wedding night was going to be like and this wasn't it. Her head was spinning with so much thoughts. Her number one concern was her family's safety, that was always going to be her number one concern. But after that, all she could think about was leaving.

"Would you really move away from here?" Sean asked her.

"Yeah." Jude said, "I really would." She whispered, "I'm just so tired of all of this. I'm tired of waiting for the next bomb to drop, and then having to clean up after it. I want Mirren to have a good life. I don't want her to remember anything like this. I'm not saying that I want perfect, I know that doesn't exist, but… I just want better." She shook her head.

"What about your family, Jude?" Sean sighed.

"I love my family. I love my parents. My sisters." Jude nodded, "But I feel like I get to be selfish about this. For me. For our daughter." She said, "My mom and dad are good people. And they're amazing parents." She shook her head, "But that doesn't deter me from knowing what's best. What's best for us, our family we have now." She said.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to run away from them. It'd break their hearts if they found out that's why we left." Sean said.

"I do feel like I have to run away from them, though." She admitted honestly, "Not from them but… from the things that come with being their daughter." She said, "I'm just fed up. And I know I sound like a spoiled brat who's throwing in the towel but… I don't wanna live like this anymore. I don't want to be scared." She shook her head, "And I never want my daughter to be scared." She said as Sean nodded.

"Neither do I." Sean agreed. The more he heard her talk about it, the more he could hear it in her voice how serious she was about it, and it made him think about it a lot more.

"I don't want to hurt them." Jude shook her head, "But I don't wanna be around this anymore." She made clear, "And I know you don't either." She said as Sean nodded slowly.

"And you really plan on just… seeing them at Christmas and Thanksgiving?" Sean asked her.

"I'm not cutting them off, Sean. I'll call them. They can come visit. We'll visit them sometimes. But I want a fresh start somewhere, and it sounds so cruel to say, but I want it on our own." She said as Sean nodded. He heard her, loud and clear.

"And you think New York?" He smiled a little.

"Well, that was just… a suggestion. We could go anywhere." She nodded. The thought of getting out of this place, with her own family, where they could be safe was the only good thought she had in her head, "I could find a job really easily. You could ask about a transfer to the nearest police department." She said as Sean nodded, "Mirren is young enough we don't have to think about schools or anything like that." She nodded.

"You really want out of here, don't you?" Sean figured.

"Yeah. I really do." Jude said desperately, cuddling into him tightly as he kissed her head.

* * *

AJ and Punk were headed out of the hospital after feeling content that Cassie was settled and peaceful for the night. They figured they could go home and get a few hours sleep, if they could.

They were leaving the main entrance where they bumped into Jake on their way out.

"Hey." Jake nodded to them both, "Are you guys ok?" He asked sincerely.

"Yeah, you guys came across them yet?" Punk asked desperately.

"Yeah, well… we found Rob." Jake nodded, looking at AJ with hesitation, "We found him dead." He clarified as AJ nodded slowly, turning to Punk, "I don't know if I'm supposed to say I'm sorry to you right now." He looked at AJ.

"You're not." AJ assured him, "It's fine." She said. The truth was, she didn't feel anything upon hearing that news, and she didn't have to explain why.

"We found him in a car park. No sign of Janet unfortunately but we're still looking." Jake assured them, "How is everyone? How's Cassie doing?" He asked.

"She's just fell asleep." AJ said, "Honestly, I think seeing Theo has affected her more than being stabbed." She admitted.

"Yeah, I… I figured it might." Jake nodded, "Theo's been looking into your family for a while. I sent him over to Puerto Rico, undercover, to really get as much on them as possible."

"Did you have to fake kill him to do that?" Punk asked, "Cassie thought he was dead all this time. That's messing with people's feelings." He said, unhappily.

"I know that and I… I never wanted to do it this way but… it had to be legit as possible." Jake said.

"Is my mom still running the cartel in Puerto Rico?" AJ questioned.

"Yeah." Jake nodded to her, "But since it's in Puerto Rico we don't have as much power to do anything, so her being over here is our chance to really get her. That's why Theo was at the wedding but… obviously helping Cassie was more important." He nodded, understanding.

"My family had ties to a lot of the drug businesses in Chicago, didn't they?" AJ nodded. She was starting to realise that her family weren't just on the wheel dealing drugs when she was younger. They were the wheel.

"Yeah, a number of them. But you'll spend years trying to figure out how those businesses work." Jake said, "Especially family businesses."

"It's not much of a family now. It's just… her on her own." AJ realised as Jake nodded.

"Yeah, I know… so it should be easy to take her down." Jake said as Punk and AJ nodded, "Just stay safe, take care of yourselves… we'll do the rest." He said as Punk and AJ nodded.

"Thanks." Punk said.

"I'm hoping I can bother Cassie for a few minutes to ask her some questions. I don't wanna wake her but… it'd really help me out."

"Sure, she's not a heavy sleeper." AJ assured him as he nodded with a smile.

"I'll speak to you guys soon." Jake nodded, walking past them and into the hospital as AJ and Punk took off into the car park.

"You ok?" Punk wrapped his arm around her.

"Yeah." AJ looked up at him, "You?"

"Yeah." Punk nodded by default. It was hard to keep going at times like this.


	103. Moving On

**Moving On**

* * *

_6 months later…_

"Hey, how was your run?" Sean asked, walking into the bathroom where he watched his wife get out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself

"Oh, it was great." Jude smiled, tightening her pony tail as he leaned down and kissed her, watching as she applied face cream to her face as he turned the shower back on.

"What's with the delayed shower?" Sean asked, waiting for the shower to turn back on.

"It always does that after someone else has used it." Jude waved her hand, putting some moisturiser on her legs, "Tap the top of it." She nodded as he reached up, tapping the top of the shower head as the water eventually began to spray out.

"You're practically a plumber." Sean nodded.

"I wear many hats in this house." Jude nodded, grabbing her toothbrush and smearing some toothpaste over it, turning the tap on at the sink as she began brushing her teeth.

"Hey, you shout at me for leaving clothes on the bathroom floor. What's this?" He pointed down to Jude's running attire.

"I'm just out the shower." Jude laughed, a mouthful of toothbrush, watching as he picked up the clothes, waving them in her face as she shook her head, pushing his arm down, "Stop." She laughed.

"It's annoying, isn't it?" He nodded, doing exactly what she would do to him if he left dirty clothes on the bathroom floor.

"It is annoying." Jude laughed, toothbrush still in her mouth, pushing his arm away as he grabbed her around the waist, lifting her playfully as she chuckled.

"I can't believe you showered without me, too. You got my hairs up this morning." He put her down as she laughed, shoving him over.

"You're so weird." She scoffed affectionately as he smiled, "I could have choked on my toothbrush." She said maturely as he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, the fun police is out." He yawned, dropping his boxer shorts, flicking them over onto the floor deliberately to get a reaction from her.

"Sean." Jude raised her brows.

"It's sitting neatly in the corner." Sean defending.

"Get in there." Jude shook her head, slapping his ass as he chuckled, stepping into the shower whilst she continued to get ready, fixing her hair and putting on the tiny spot of make-up she put on every morning.

"Coffee?" Jude asked him.

"Please." Sean called from the shower, washing his hair under the shower head.

Jude left the bathroom and wandered into their bedroom, taking out her clothes for the day and getting ready. There was something satisfying about going from sweaty gym clothes after her run in the park, to soft cotton after a warm shower.

She made their bed, throwing the cushions on without much thought before heading out of their room and into the next, switching the light on as she saw her one year old standing up in her crib, waiting on her like every morning.

"Hey, you." Jude smiled big, "Look at that messy bed hair." She chuckled, walking over to the crib and lifting Mirren out, "What do you wanna wear today, baby?" Jude asked, opening up the closet in the corner of the room, "Huh? You pick." She nodded to Mirren who rested her head on Jude's shoulder, looking at her closet with uninterest, "You're really helping me out here, babe." Jude nodded with a chuckle, "Momma pick for you?" She asked as Mirren nodded, finger in her mouth, drooling on Jude's shoulder as she took some time to wake up properly.

"Ok." Jude hummed to herself, picking out an outfit for Mirren, getting her ready, changing her diaper and putting her into her clothes for the day. She also managed to fit what very little hair she had into two bobbles on each side.

Once getting Mirren ready, she headed downstairs, turning on the lights and opening the curtains, sitting the one-year old in her high chair in the kitchen whilst she began making breakfast for them.

She put the coffee pot on and made some oatmeal and bananas for Mirren, whilst choosing a simple bagel for herself. She watched as Mirren began banging on her sippy cup on her high chair.

"Oh, you're thirsty?" Jude asked, walking over and collecting the cup from her, "Cup." Jude nodded to her at Mirren looked at her blankly, "Sippy cup." She pointed as Mirren turned away, not interested.

Jude just shook her head, walking over to the fridge to fill up some water in the cup, getting breakfast ready for them and eventually sitting down at the table to feed herself and Mirren, just in time for Sean to appear.

"Morning, sweetie." Sean smiled, leaning over and kissing Mirren's cheek as she smiled and extended a piece of banana to him, "Oh, thanks." He chuckled, taking the banana from her and eating it.

"Hey, Mir… can you say banana?" Jude said, "Banana." She repeated as clearly as she could, pointing to the bananas in her little bowl of oatmeal.

Mirren just mashed her spoon into her oatmeal, not interesting in speaking any time soon as Jude huffed, "Not speaking, huh?" She figured as Sean chuckled, pouring himself some coffee from the pot.

"She's probably thinking why is this crazy lady always saying random words to me." Sean nodded.

"I don't say them randomly." Jude scoffed.

"We were out last week for dinner and you started saying the word cat to her." Sean shook his head.

"Well because I realised it was an easy word to say, I thought she'd grasp it quickly." Jude shrugged, "She's one and she hasn't said a single thing. Not even momma or dadda." Jude said.

"Which is normal." Sean reminded her, "Kids take time to talk. From eighteen months until they're two."

"Maybe she just doesn't wanna talk to us." Jude shook her head.

"Yeah, probably." Sean laughed a little, "Ok, I'm already late." He realised.

"Ok, come give me a kiss." Jude nodded, dusting her hands off from the bagel she was eating as he leaned over, kissing her sweetly multiple times.

"Be good at work." He nodded as she smiled, "And you, be good at daycare." He turned to Mirren who looked at him, "No causing fights, no beating other babies up." He teased, tickling under her chin as Mirren smiled, "Ok, goodbye." He nodded, kissing her cheek sweetly.

"Remember your badge and wallet." Jude pointed over to the kitchen counter.

"Every morning." Sean rolled his eyes, walking over to his almost forgotten wallet, slipping it into his back pocket, picking up his NYPD badge and slipping it into the top of his jacket.

"Have a good day." Jude smiled, watching as he saluted her and left the kitchen, heading off to work, "Hey, Mir… Bagel." Jude lifted her half eaten bagel as Mirren looked at her like she had two heads, "Bagel." Jude said clearly as Mirren giggled, "I'm glad you find me funny, at least." Jude scoffed, "Can you cheers with me?" She asked, lifting her coffee mug as Mirren grabbed her sippy cup. She knew what the word cheers meant.

"Cheers." Jude smiled, chuckling as Mirren hit her sippy cup off her mug. Her sweet little best friend.

* * *

"Cassie, can I have those reports on my desk by the end of the day, please?" Jake asked, walking past Cassie's desk in the station, "All four of them." He nodded.

"Yeah, yeah… sorry, Jake. I… I've just lost my head with them a little." She admitted, "I'll have them to you by the end of the day."

"It's alright. How have you been feeling?" Jake asked her.

"I'm ok. I'm still on medication for my ribs and they just make me so tired." Cassie shook her head, "I feel like a zombie."

"Nothing worse than drowsy meds." Jake agreed, "When do you come off them?"

"Next week." Cassie said, "Thank God."

"If you need more time off, it's ok." Jake assured her, "Your job will still be here for you."

"No… no, I've lost enough time as it is. I'm good to go." Cassie assured him as he nodded with a smile.

"Ok." Jake smiled, "But get the reports done." He warned in his boss tone as Cassie nodded, watching him walking away as she opened up the reports she was half-way through.

Once she finished with one, she got up from her desk, walking to the back of the station into the copy room, bumping into another cop as she stepped into the room.

"Oh, sorry I-" She paused as she looked up and noticed it was Theo.

"Sorry." Theo nodded back as they looked at one another for a few seconds.

"I didn't know you were… back." Cassie said, stepping back from him a little as he nodded.

"Yeah, it took a while to bury all the undercover stuff, but… I guess I'm back to being just a regular cop now." He nodded as Cassie looked across at him.

She hadn't spoken to him much since she was stabbed. She couldn't bring herself to. Everything she thought she'd let go with him, seemed lost. She was upset that his undercover job resulted in a broke heart for her. It didn't seem fair, and she was having a hard time dealing with it properly. Dealing with him. In fact, she was doing her best to avoid him.

"Well, I mean you can… have your desk back, I guess." Cassie said.

"No, it's ok. I've got a new one." Theo said as Cassie nodded.

"Ok." She mumbled, walking past him to get to the copier.

"Cassie." Theo said as she looked over at him.

"What?" She said. Truthfully, she was still having a hard time believing he was really here again, right in front of her.

"Do you wanna… grab a beer after your shift?" He asked her as Cassie looked across at him.

"Seriously?" She looked at him, puzzled.

"Y-Yeah." Theo nodded.

"Did you really think you could come back here and we'd pick up where we left off?" Cassie asked him, "I thought you were dead. Do you understand that?" She looked across at him, "Everything I was scared of happening, everything I told you I was scared of happening in my life… happened." She said, "And all this time, you were fine… whilst I was blaming myself." She said.

"I'm sorry." Theo shook his head, "I never wanted to hurt you like that, but I… well I didn't know that's how you felt about me." He said, "We never really talked about-"

"You knew how I felt. Don't bullshit me." Cassie shook her head as he looked across at her, "Please just leave me alone." She advised, picking up her reports from the copier.

"Cass, come on. Let's just talk about it." Theo said, watching her walk past him and out of the copy room, heading back to her desk as he sighed to himself. He knew he shouldn't have thought this was going to be easy.

* * *

"Hey." Thea called, walking into her parents house with Sofia who ran ahead into the kitchen, "Morning." She said, walking into the kitchen where her parents were sitting.

"Morning." AJ smiled, watching as Sofia jumped on Punk immediately.

"Hey." Punk chuckled, "Someone's full of beans this morning." He smiled.

"I'm not full of beans, papa." Sofia shook her head with confusion as Thea smiled.

"Oh, of course you're not." Punk corrected himself with a smile as Sofia sat on his knee, stealing the rest of his breakfast.

"You doing a twelve hour today?" AJ asked her daughter.

"Yeah." Thea huffed, "Ecstatic about it." She nodded sarcastically, "So Dom will pick James up from school and then he'll pick her up on his way home." She told them as they nodded.

"Ok." AJ said, "I think we're gonna take her to the park. It's a nice day out." AJ nodded.

"Yeah, it is. The sun is out already." Thea nodded, "Good job Sof loves the park." She said loudly as Sofia looked up.

"The park? I do love the park." Sofia agreed as Punk smiled.

"Just as long as no one pushes you too high on the swing." She looked at her father specifically as he put his hands up in defence.

"I'll keep it at an average." Punk promised as Thea nodded.

"Have you guys had any more calls from Jake?" Thea asked them as they shook their heads.

"No, nothing since a few weeks ago." AJ said, "And every time we ask Cassie about it she… blows up on us." She shook her head.

"I think she's stressed about her situation with Theo. Whatever the situation even is. I don't think she knows." Thea said.

"Yeah, we figured." Punk nodded, "But yeah, we… haven't heard much." He said unhappily as Thea nodded slowly.

"I'm sure they'll find her somehow." Thea nodded hopefully.

"Yeah." AJ nodded in agreement as Punk said nothing.

"You better get going, things to do, people to save." Punk nodded to Thea who smiled.

"Right." She laughed a little, "Well thanks for having her today." She said, "And you be good." She leaned over, kissing Sofia's cheek.

"I will." Sofia promised as Thea smiled.

"Have a good day at work, baby." AJ nodded.

"Thanks, mom." Thea smiled, "See you guys later." She said, leaving the kitchen and heading out of the house to get to work quickly.

"Ok, park and ice-cream, how does that sound?" Punk asked Sofia.

"Yeah!" Sofia cheered as Punk smiled over to AJ.

"Ok, go get your jacket." Punk told her, lifting her down from his knee as she ran off to go get her jacket which her mother had left on the stairs on her way in.

"It looks nice outside but I bet it's cold." AJ observed, standing up and looking out the window.

"Are you gonna make me wear my hat, scarf and gloves?" Punk smiled over to her.

"Well, if you don't want to be cold, yes." AJ said as he smiled, walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her as she hugged into him tightly. She found herself hugging him a lot recently.

Things were changing around them, more than they ever were before. And yet, again, there was still that question mark left hanging over their heads, that feeling of waiting on something bad happening. They had escapes, like focusing on their grandchildren, on their jobs and life together. But it was always there. That last piece of the puzzle.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading this long ass story, lol. Be sure to look out for the next story to this series, and the final one, coming soon. One last ride. Y'all down for it?**


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